Box Score The Bruins played their 2nd straight road test of the 2015-16 season, and the team used a late run in the second half to battle back for a 95-87 win over Johnson University on Saturday night.
The Bruins were coming off a dominant 95-52 win over Crown College on Friday night in which the team controlled in all facets of the game for an exciting start to the season."It's always tough to play on back-to-back nights," Bruins coach Neal Ring said. "Johnson did a great job of doing what they do. They have great shooters and kept hanging around the whole game. They really scrapped and fought hard. Anytime you play on the road you have to respect your opponent but I thought we did a good job of using a late run to get back into the game and hold on for the win."
In the opening minutes of the game, the Bruins used their high tempo style of play to generate good looks as the team built a 10-5 lead. Johnson then came clawing back with several chances to cut into the lead. The two teams remained close as each time the Bruins made a short run, the Royals would respond and even the score. The Bruins struggled namely in the foul category as several players were limited in minutes due to fouls in the first half. With the half drawing to a close, Johnson took a four point lead but the Bruins came roaring back and Noah Smith buried a three-point shot with just seconds remaining to give the Bruins a 48-46 lead at the half.
The Royals came out recharged in the 2nd half and rode the energy of the home crowd to build a lead over the Bruins. Marshall Riddle had a quiet great game for the Bruins offensively and knocked down a pair of shots to cut back into the lead. Justin Matthews eventually tied the game 70-70 with a score as both teams knew it would go down to the wire.
With just over five minutes remaining, Marshall Riddle knocked down a big shot to put the Bruins up 77-74. Still, the Royals refused to go away and continued to attack the basket and earn trips to the line. Bruins' captain Ray Holden muscled his way into the lane for two points to give the Bruins an 88-85 advantage. From there, the Bruins shored up their defense and knocked down clutch free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 95-87 win over Johnson University.
"Excited about where we are and thankful for the chance we had to struggle a bit tonight but still come away with a W,"Coach Ring said."We have a lot of talent and we can't just show up and think we can out-talent everybody because guys are going to protect their home floor and have to understand we have to respect our opponent on their home floor. We'll have a good week of practice coming up as we prepare for some tough home games."
Marshall Riddle led the Bruins with 22 points and 5 rebounds while Shawn Lipscomb scored 17 and dished out 7 assists. Kyle Turner had his 2nd straight double-double for the Bruins with 10 points and 16 boards as the team again had 5 players score in double figures. With the win, the Bruins move to 2-0 on the season and will head home for the home opener on November 13 against Barber-Scotia College.
