Box Score
Several Bruins players were in tears as the players embraced one last time at center court after falling to Carver College 81-77 in the semi-final round of the NCCAA DI South Regional Playoffs. The team ends the season at 15-16.

 

"I thought we did a lot of things right tonight and gave ourselves a chance all the way up to the end," Coach Neal Ring said. "Despite some of the struggles we had with turnovers and from the free throw line, we still had a chance to win the game. If we take care of those little things it's a different outcome."

The Bruins came into the regional tournament with the #3 seed and were riding momentum after a 102-84 win over College of Faith to end the regular season. Carver College came into the tournament with the #2 seed. In the 2013 regional tournament, it was Carver College who knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs with a 76-64 loss. The Bruins were hoping that history wouldn't repeat itself as they took the floor in the Davis Field House. 

Marshall Riddle opened the scoring for the Bruins as the sophomore guard scored 11 of the Bruins first 15 points but the Bruins trailed 20-15. Brannon Hopkins provided the scoring for the Cougars as he sliced through the lane for points and knocked down several tough shots from the floor. Still the Bruins remained close and came back to take the lead after back to back baskets from Riddle and Dustin Killough. The crowd erupted as Ray Holden drove through the lane and slammed home a dunk to give the Bruins a boost. 

With under two minutes remaining in the half, the Cougars scored to take a 33-30 advantage. The Bruins looked to close out the half strong, but several costly turnovers down the stretch allowed the Cougars to take a 39-32 lead into the break. 

"We got some good play from our younger guys in this game," Coach Ring said. "I thought we executed our game plan for the most part, but we struggled in turning the ball over and limited some of their opportunities."

In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to take the lead. Dustin Killough knocked down a three-point shot to spark a 7-0 run as the team chipped away at the Cougars lead. The Cougars responded with back to back buckets to keep the upper hand, but the Bruins refused to quit. Marshall Riddle continued to be lights out from the field as he knocked down shots to bring the team back. Each time the Bruins got close, the Cougars would come up with several clutch baskets as they continued to hold a slim lead. 

As the game was drawing to a close, the Bruins were within striking distance as Riddle scored again to make it 80-75. The Bruins scored again to go down one possession, but costly missed free throws down the stretch allowed the Cougars to hang on for an 81-77 victory. 

"I felt like everyone laid it all out on the floor tonight and we have nothing to be ashamed of," Marshall Riddle said. "We went through a lot of adversity this season, but what I'm going to remember most are the things I learned from our seniors. I am going to miss those guys a lot."

Riddle led the way for the Bruins with 28 points while shooting 61% from the floor. Dustin Killough finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. The Bruins committed 20 turnovers on the night and shot just 38% from the free throw line in the second half despite outrebounding Carver College 42-27. With the loss, the Bruins end their season at 15-16 on the year. The team graduates four seniors who have been instrumental in the foundation of the program. Bruins basketball will forever bare the mark of the impact of those players, and as the underclassmen take up the torch of the program they can look back and be thankful for the solid foundation that was laid by those who had gone before.