Box Score
The Bruins dropped a tough game on Friday night on the road as the team fell to Piedmont International University 70-55 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"PIU is a tough team and a tough place to play," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We showed some rust coming off a long layoff but we can't use that as an excuse."
The Bruins came into the game at 3-6 and were coming off a victory over Erskine College in their last game. PIU came in at 4-4 after a victory over St. Andrews University on Tuesday night. The stage was set as the next chapter in the battle of the Bruins series was set to be written.
From the opening tip, both teams struggled to score as shots rattled out. Still, the Bruins rode the play of Jayson Barnhart as he battled through the lane for points. With just over 6 minutes remaining in the first half, BJU and PIU were tied at 20-20. The shooting struggles continued and the teams combined for just 7 points in the final minutes of play with PIU taking a 24-23 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to gain the lead but a 7-2 run by Piedmont extended the deficit to 31-25. The Bruins couldn't seem to buy a bucket and went scoreless for over four minutes in the second half. Eventually, the shots began to fall as the Bruins battled back to trail 50-47 with just over seven minutes to play.
Down the stretch, PIU was able to take advantage of the Bruins defense as three different BJU players fouled out in the second half. Transition baskets also hurt BJU as Piedmont was able to push the tempo and find layups at the rim. Despite their efforts to claw their way back into the game, PIU made baskets and free throws to win the game 70-55 over BJU.
"We missed free throws, fouled because we were out of position and didn't box out well," Coach Uwarow said. "We had some bright spots offensively in each half but if we want to win this year the controllable things need to change drastically. We will learn a lot from out film session of this game on Monday."
With the loss, the Bruins fall to 3-7 on the season. Friday night's game was the first of six road games for the Bruins. Next up, the team will travel to Barber Scotia College on Tuesday night in Concord, North Carolina.
