Box Score
In a game that featured power outages and one of the lowest scoring outputs of the season, the Bruins clawed their way to a 49-47 victory on Saturday night over the University of Puerto Rico Humacao. The team won both of their games in the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament and have now won three-straight to close out the first semester of play. 

 

"This was a tough team and a tough game for us," Coach Neal Ring said. "They did a good job of making us work hard for a lot of stuff and we had to adjust our mindset a little bit to get things done, but overall thankful we were able to get the win." 

The Bruins came off a thrilling overtime victory on Friday afternoon as the team battled to an 85-80 win over University Metropolitan. The Bruins were looking to remain undefeated in Puerto Rico as they took the court against the University of Puerto Rico Humacao. 

From the opening tip, the two teams looked to establish momentum and pace as both had a hard time getting shots to fall. The Bruins were able to play good defense and forced eight straight defensive stops to start the game as they held UPRH to limited scoring. Justin Matthews and Ray Holden provided good hard nosed defense to force contested shots. Unfortunately, Bruins struggled offensively as well as the team had a scoreless drought of nearly 8 minutes in the middle of the first half. Still, the team continued to keep the lead and went into the half up 24-21.

"I think we played some of our best defense down here," Coach Ring said. "We've learned we can overcome some adversity and play a wide variety of styles which is what happened to us tonight. We were forced to make some adjustments considering how each team was playing offensively." 
 
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to stretch their lead and finally get some buckets to fall. Marshall Riddle knocked down a nice jumper to get things going but still UPRH stayed within striking distance. With just over 14 minutes to go in the game, the Bruins clung to a 32-28 lead when the power in the arena went out. For over 20 minutes, the two teams were delayed as the crew worked to restore power to the building. When the power came back on, the two teams took the court again with the win up for grabs. 

Down the stretch, the Bruins fought and clawed their way for points, and Tre Tipton came up big for the Bruins on the boards with 15 rebounds on the night. With under a minute to play, UPRH had battled back to take a 46-45 lead over the Bruins. For the second straight night, captain clutch came up big as Kyle Turner knocked down a three-point shot to give the Bruins a 48-46 advantage. The team held off UPRH on their final possession and finished the game with a 49-47 victory. 

"My teammates are always encouraging me to shoot and as a senior I feel confident shooting down the stretch," Bruins captain Kyle Turner said. "The team responded to a lot of adversity throughout these two games. That's the biggest thing we are taking back from our time here." 

With the win, the Bruins move to 9-5 on the season. Because of the power outage and data loss, official stats will be uploaded at a later date. The Bruins finish out the first semester of play strong as the team has won three-straight games. The team is closing out their time in Puerto Rico tomorrow morning as they minister in Calvary Baptist Tabernacle tomorrow morning.