Box Score
It was another memorable chapter in the rivalry between the Eagles and Bruins on Saturday evening as Pensacola Christian College rallied late to defeat Bob Jones University 76-70 in Pensacola, Florida. Marshall Riddle led the Bruins with 23 points as the team falls to 11-17 on the season and 4-3 in region play.
"They made more plays than we did down the stretch," Bruins Head Coach Neal Ring said. "Our journey to the regional tournament has provided some tough losses this week but I believe in the resilience of these men and their ability to move on and use the week to learn and continue to prepare for our postseason tournament."
Just weeks earlier, the Bruins had dominated the Eagles on both ends in a convincing 89-62 victory. But the team knew PCC would be a much different team on their home court. In their history, the Bruins have only won one time in the Sports Center Arena.
The Bruins silenced the hometown crowd as they stormed out to an early lead. The one-two punch of Dustin Killough and Marshall Riddle knocked down outside shots while the Bruins defense limited the Eagles offensively. PCC began to slowly chip away at the Bruins lead behind the great play of Corey Williams who finished the night with 19 points for the Eagles. The Bruins matched the Eagles down the stretch for baskets and Quez Fisher hammered home a dunk to give the team momentum as they took a 38-33 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Eagles rode the energy of their hometown fans to climb back and tie the game at 50-50. From there, each team looked to make the most of each possession as they knew the game would come down to the wire. Williams again was big for the Eagles down the stretch as he came up with 4 steals on the night and recorded a three-point play with just under two minutes to play to give the Eagles the upperhand. The Bruins were able to make key shots to cut into the lead, but the Eagles made clutch free throws down the stretch to hang on for the 76-70 victory.
"We have a short turn around before our game on Monday," Coach Ring said. "We will learn from this and continue to dig in as we move forward."
Marshall Riddle scored 23 points on the night while Dustin Killough finished with 13 and Quez Fisher scored 10 to go along with 9 rebounds. The difference in the game was the free throw margin as the Eagles shot 33-45 from the line while the Bruins went just 8-10.
With the loss, the Bruins fall to 11-17 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will return home to host Montreat College on Monday night in the Davis Field House.
