Box Score
It was an electric atmosphere on Friday night as over 1,000 fans packed into the Davis Field House for the NCCAA D2 regional semifinals. The Bruins basketball team rode that energy to defeat #4 seeded Trinity Baptist College 81-67.
"Tonight's game was a great atmosphere," Bruins guard Marshall Riddle said. "Bruin Nation was great and they cheered with a lot of energy. We appreciate everyone who came out and supported us."
It was an evenly played game as both teams exchanged leads 13 times throughout the night. The Eagles jumped out to an early 6-0 lead but the Bruins quickly fought their way back into the game. Freshman Jayson Barnhart scored 12 points off the bench in the first half to give the team a much needed boost. The team had another milestone for the program as Dustin Killough scored his 1,000th career point.
"I'm proud of Dustin," Bruins Head Coach Neal Ring said. "He's meant a lot to our basketball team and it was a matter of time before he reached the 1,000 point milestone."
At halftime, the Bruins held a five point lead with the score at 41-36. But Trinity Baptist wasn't going down without a fight as the team clawed their way back within a basket in the 2nd half.
The Bruins swung momentum back in their favor as Marshall Riddle knocked down a deep three and Justin Matthews followed suit with a three of his own as BJU led 67-59 forcing the Eagles to take a timeout. Tightening up their transition defense was key as the Bruins forced 10 Eagle turnovers in the 2nd half to take control of the game.
"Our defense in the 2nd half was the difference-maker tonight," Freshman guard Nate Ellenwood said. "We were able to force turnovers and get easy points in transition."
The exclamation point on the game for the Bruins took place with under three minutes to go as Quez Fisher found a wide open Jayson Barnhart in the paint for a three-point play, extending the lead to 17 points. The Bruins kept their foot on the gas for a 81-67 win clinching them a spot in the regional championship on Saturday.
"It was a great team win tonight," Coach Ring said. "Trinity Baptist is a very good team and they made us work for everything tonight."
The Bruins had four players in double figures tonight. Nate Ellenwood led the team in scoring with 20 points and Marshall Riddle scored 17 while making four three-pointers. Justin Matthews had 10 points and Jayson Barnhart added 15 points off the bench.
The Bruins will take on Trinity College on Saturday afternoon in the regional championship game at 2 p.m.
