Box Score The Bob Jones University Bruins had five players score in double figures as the team dominated from start to finish in a 95-52 win over Crown College on Friday night in Powell, Tennessee.
"I was very pleased with how we started," Coach Neal Ring said. "We came out really fast and scored in a variety of ways. Overall, I was pleased with how the guys came out and responded tonight."
The Bruins were excited to begin the 2015-16 season as the team had put together back-to-back preseason wins over USC Salkehatchie and Southern Wesleyan University. The Bruins finished the 2014-15 season at 10-20, but several offseason transfers and incoming freshman bolstered the depth for the team this season.
From the opening tip, the Bruins came out hot and scored on their first six possessions while limiting the Royal Crusaders on offense to jump out to a 9-2 lead. The team was able to get good perimeter shots, while Tre Tipton and Kyle Turner dominated in the post and on the glass for the team as the Bruins continued to increase their lead. When the first half buzzer sounded the Bruins had a commanding 51-30 lead.
"We got away from a little of our fundamentals on defense but overall was pleased to go into the half with a big lead," Coach Ring said.
As the second half began, the Bruins continued to pour it on as the fast-tempo play swarmed the Royal Crusaders to allow the Bruins to capitalize. Tre Tipton rocked the rim with a monster dunk at the midway point of the half to put the exclamation point on the Bruins play. The team also relied on the red-hot shooting of Noah Smith as he shot 6-9 from behind the arc to lead the team with 18 points. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had controlled all aspects of the game to come away with a convincing 95-52 road win.
"I was proud of our efforts tonight," Coach Ring said. "We were able to get a lot of guys playing time tonight and I was pleased at how we were able to play together as a unit."
Noah Smith led the Bruins with 18 points while Tre Tipton added 14 points and 10 boards. Kyle Turner also scored 12 points to go along with 12 rebounds. The Bruins shot 46% from behind the arc while the Bruins bench outscored the Crown College bench 46-6 throughout the game. With the win, the Bruins improve to 1-0 on the season and will play the 2nd of their two-game road trip tomorrow at Johnson University Tennessee.
