The Bruins basketball team came out strong from the start and never looked back as the Bruins won their 4th straight game with an 89-62 victory over the Pensacola Christian College Eagles. Marshall Riddle set a new school record with 9-three pointers as he finished with 31 points on the night. 

"There is a lot of hype around our yearly matchup with PCC," Riddle said. "Both teams look forward to this game every year." 

The two teams split the season series last year as the home team won each matchup. The Bruins wanted to defend their home court tonight as the Davis Field House was packed with over 3,000 fans on the night. The Bruins came into the game having won four of their last five games.  

Justin Matthews got things going for the Bruins with a quick basket as the team jumped out to a 6-0 lead. Joel Thomas responded for the Eagles with back to back baskets as PCC climbed right back in the game.

The Eagles held an early 15-14 lead over BJU but after a timeout from Coach Ring, the Bruins were able to take the lead and never looked back. Justin Matthews hit a 3-pointer, followed by back to back threes from Marshall Riddle. The Bruins were able to force turnovers defensively and went on a 17-2 run to expand the lead to 31-17. 

"Our defense improved as the game went along," Bruins Head Coach Neal Ring said. "For the most part we did a great job of communicating and closing out on shooters and not giving up many open looks." 

The Bruins kept up the pressure and continued to increase their lead as the first half drew to a close. The team ended the first half with an exclamation point as Justin Matthews beat the buzzer for a fast break dunk as the Bruins led PCC 50-21 at the break. The fans in the Davis Field House erupted as it gave the team momentum going into the 2nd half. 

"Bruin Nation was great tonight," Marshall Riddle said. "Their support means a lot to us and they cheered loud throughout the game. It was a great atmosphere tonight." 

The Bruins picked up where they left off in the second half, as the team continued to increase their lead. Riddle continued to remain red-hot from three-point range as he finished 11-19 shooting on the night while going 9-14 from three. Despite several short runs by the Eagles, it wasn't enough as the Bruins won convincingly 89-62.

"The key for us tonight was that we were able to get contributions from everyone," Coach Ring said. "It was a total team effort and I'm proud of the way we played." 

Marshall Riddle led the way offensively with 31 points while Justin Matthews and Jayson Barnhart each scored 11. Dustin Killough finished with 10 while Nate Ellenwood scored 10 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 6 assists. The Bruins dominated the rebounding margin 38-24 while forcing the Eagles to shoot just 8% from three-point range. With the win, the Bruins move to 7-15 on the season and have won four-straight games. 

The team will be back in action Tuesday night as they host Johnson & Wales University at 8 p.m.