Box Score The glass slipper fit for the Cinderella Bruins as the team overcame a 15 point deficit in the 2nd half to upset the University of South Carolina Upstate 83-79. This was the first win over an NCAA DI program in Bruins history.
"It's hard to put into words what they just did," Coach Neal Ring said. "They believed in each other and even though they got down big early they just kept fighting. They just demonstrated that they can play against a good quality opponent." 
The Bruins overcame a 15 points 2nd half deficit
to upset the USC Upstate Spartans 83-79The Bruins came into the game on Saturday afternoon with a perfect 5-0 record, as the team started out the 2015-16 season strong. The Spartans were 0-3 on the season, including suffering a tough home loss to Navy on Thursday night. In their previous meetings, the Spartans had dominated the Bruins including a 107-41 victory over BJU in the 2014 season. The Bruins were hoping to keep their undefeated streak intact as they took the court at the Hodge Center on Saturday afternoon.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Spartans traded baskets with each team trying to gain the upper hand. After back to back three-pointers from Deion Holmes and Malik Moore, the Spartans took a 18-11 lead. From there, the Spartans continued to roll as the team went on a 11-2 run to build on their lead. After a timeout, the Bruins rode the play of Dustin Killough as he scored 8 straight points to fuel a 16-4 run by the Bruins as they cut the lead to 34-31 with just over 6 minutes to go in the first half.
As the half wore on, the Spartans were able to work the ball around for open opportunities, but the Bruins found an answer to keep the game close. The Spartans were able to close out the half strong and took a 48-37 lead into the break.
The Bruins came out firing on all cylinders to start the 2nd half as Marshall Riddle and Shawn Lipscomb combined for three-straight three's to bring the team back into the game. Still, the Spartans remained on top as they continued to come up with big shots to keep the lead and worked the score up to 55-40. The Bruins refused to quit as Ray Holden banked home a layup to cut the lead to 62-56. The team was in unfamiliar territory with these Spartans as they were within striking distance late in the second half. The team stood strong defensively as Tre' Tipton recorded 5 blocks in the game to help the Bruins hold the Spartans from scoring.
With just over four minutes to play, Shawn Lipscomb drove the lane and scored on a layup to bring the Bruins within 4. After a defensive stop, Lipscomb took over again and scored on a floating shot to put the Bruins down 71-69. On the ensuing inbound pass, Justin Matthews intercepted and scored to tie the game at 71-71. The Bruins defense continued to remain strong and forced the Spartans into tough shots. Matthews came up with a big three to put the Bruins up 76-73 with just under three minutes to go.
The Spartans sensed the upset and began to cut back into the lead, but each time the Spartans would score the Bruins would respond as they stayed on top with clutch baskets down the stretch. With under a minute to go, the Bruins came away with a steal and found Kyle Turner on the fastbreak to gain their largest lead at 82-77. After another defensive stand and some missed free throws by the Spartans, the final buzzer concluded the upset for the Bruins as the team stormed the court in celebration with a 83-79 victory.
"There is no more hiding for us," Coach Ring said. "Our players made plays when we needed it most. We're not the team that you just don't prepare for, but we know we can't take one point from this game to the next so we're just going to have to go into the next game and play one possession at a time." Tre' Tipton led the Bruins with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks while Marshall Riddle had 15, Dustin Killough had 14, Shawn Lipscomb had 11 and Justin Matthews had 8 to go along with 8 assists. The team shot 47% from the field including shooting 44% from behind the arc. With the win, the Bruins stretch their winning streak to 6 as the team remains undefeated at 6-0. Though the season is still young, this is a win that the Bruins program will remember for years to come as the team was able to pull the upset against an NCAA DI program. Next up, the Bruins will play their first conference game of the 2015-16 season as they welcome Emmanuel College on Tuesday night.
