Box Score
The Emmanuel College Lions spoiled the party on Tuesday night as the team used a big second half to hand the Bruins their first loss of the season 89-67. "We need to get back to playing Bruins basketball," Bruins captain Ray Holden. "That's what got us the first six wins and that is what is going to get us more wins. We were neck and neck with them but then we went away from what we were trying to do and that's how we killed ourselves tonight." 

 

The Bruins and Lions are no strangers to one another as the conference rivalry resumed on Tuesday night. The Bruins opened the season with a perfect 6-0 record, including an upset win over USC Upstate in their last game. The Lions entered the game with a 2-2 record and were coming off their first conference win over Carver College on Monday night. 

As the game began, the Bruins used back to back baskets to jump out an early lead but the Lions kept pace to keep the score close. Both teams traded baskets early on, with the Lions utilizing the inside post play of Zach Lillie to gain the upperhand. The Bruins fought back as Dustin Killough again provided a spark off the bench with 11 first half points, but the rest of the team struggled to finish their opportunities. The Lions closed out the half strong and took a 37-29 lead into the break. 

"We knew this would be a tough early season matchup against a really good opponent," Coach Neal Ring said. "Their players made really good plays and we struggled to do the things we were trying to do."

In the second half, the Lions came out with back to back baskets as they continued to increase their lead. The Bruins struggled in the rebounding category as the Lions continued to gain second-chance points as they built a double-digit advantage. At the midway point of the half, the Bruins mounted a short run as they hit three straight three-point shots to cut the lead back to thirteen. The team was dealt a serious blow offensively as Dustin Killough fouled out with just over 7 minutes remaining in the half. Each run the Bruins tried to make was met with answered points on the other end as the Lions rolled to a 89-67 victory over the Bruins.  

"Sometimes the best teacher is losing," Coach Ring said. "We can learn from this and move on. It'll be good for us to get a little break to step away from the game with family and friends and in being thankful for what we have. I am not discouraged or disappointed because it feels a lot better to be where we are at now than in previous years." 

Dustin Killough led the Bruins with 18 points on the night and Shawn Lipscomb added 15. With the loss, the team falls to 6-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. Next up, the Bruins will play the Citadel on Friday night in the second game of the Palmetto State Shootout Tournament at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina.