Box Score
The Bruins basketball team hadn't lost a game in nearly a month of play as the team had rattled off 8-straight wins. But that all ended on Tuesday night as the Bruins suffered a tough overtime loss on the road to Warren Wilson College 101-97.
"Tough loss on the road for us tonight," Bruins Head Coach Neal Ring said. "We credit Warren Wilson as they made plays down the stretch in OT to win this one. We can learn much from this loss tonight as we prepare for our end of the season and postseason."
The Bruins and Owls met earlier in the season with the Bruins capturing a double-digit win in Greenville. The hometown crowd at Warren Wilson College fueled the energy as both teams took the court.
Marshall Riddle got the Bruins going offensively as the junior guard knocked down back to back threes to help the team build a 11-5 lead. The Owls responded with some three-point bombs of their own as they battled back to tie the game 13-13. That back and forth action was seen all throughout the contest as neither team refused to let their opponent gain a sizeable lead.
At the midway point of the half, Owls guard Steven Horton made a jump shot to give WWC a 33-25 lead. But the Bruins refused to back down as Dustin Killough and Marshall Riddle continued to carry the brunt of the offensive load as the team slowly began to work their way back into the game. The Bruins used a 10-0 run down the stretch to battle all the way back and take a 50-46 lead as the half came to a close.
In the second half, the Bruins looked to extend their lead but the Owls clawed their way back to even the score and take the lead. But as the half wore on, both teams continued to battle as the lead changed 13 times throughout the contest.
With just over two minutes to play, Dustin Killough calmly sank two free throws to give the Bruins an 87-84 advantage. Steven Horton again came up big for the Owls as he knocked down a three to tie the game at 87-87. The Owls took the lead with just over thirty seconds to play but Bruins guard Nate Ellenwood saved the team with a clutch basket with just seconds to go to send the game into overtime tied 89-89.
In overtime, the hometown crowd brought the noise and the Owls fed off of it as they scored six-straight points to jump out to a 95-89 lead. The Bruins struggled to score, but the team did find their way back into the game courtesy of free throws by Nate Ellenwood and Justin Matthews. With under a minute to play, the Owls had possession and Jordan Gant was fouled while attempting a three-point shot. He made all three free throws to put the Owls up 98-95. The Bruins answered back with a hook shot from Quez Fisher, but the Owls made key free throws down the stretch as they held on for the 101-97 win.
Dustin Killough and Marshall Riddle each scored 25 points on the night for the Bruins while Justin Matthews finished with 15 points and Nate Ellenwood tallied 14 to go along with 7 rebounds. The Bruins couldn't sustain their hot shooting particularly in overtime as the team shot 0-6 from beyond the arc and just 13% from the field. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 11-16 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road for an important region matchup as they battle Pensacola Christian College on Saturday afternoon.
