Jayson Barnhart had a dominate performance for the Bruins on Saturday afternoon as he scored 27 points and had 5 rebounds. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the team dropped their first NCCAA DII South Region game of the season in a 69-60 loss to Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. With the loss, the Bruins remain winless on the year at 0-7.
"I thought it was a really good effort tonight," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We had some uncharacteristic turnovers which was the story of the game. We were able to establish our inside game which opened up the outside for us. We got some really good looks and we can build on that going forward."
The Bruins have battled through a difficult schedule to start the season and the team was hoping to pickup their first win of the year and their first region win as they took the court against the Eagles.
Both teams exchanged baskets early on before Blake Coleman knocked down a three for the Bruins to help the team build an 11-4 lead. The Bruins were able to get the post players working early on as Zac Orr and Jayson Barnhart scored points in the paint to help the team increase their lead.
Zac Orr banked home a shot to give the Bruins a 21-8 lead with just over six minutes to go in the first half. The Bruins were playing well defensively and looked to be in position to take a big lead into the half. The Eagles had other plans as TBC went on a 17-3 run to close out the half with a 25-24 lead over the Bruins.
In the second half, Barnhart came out strong with back to back baskets as the Bruins regained the lead. The Eagles came right back with good looks from the outside as they used another short run to lead 43-34.
With just under five minutes to play, Barnhart hit three-straight three pointers as the Bruins clawed back to within three at 58-55. Unfortunately, the Bruins weren't able to complete the comeback as the Eagles made key free throws down the stretch to win 69-60.
"One of the problems we've had is lack of depth and we aren't able to simulate some things in practice," Coach Uwarow said. "I hope we were able to learn something tonight. We have another region matchup on Tuesday and it should be another evenly matched game. Hoping we can do what we need to to get our first victory of the season."
Jayson Barnhart led the Bruins with 27 points and 5 rebounds but he was the only player who scored in double figures for the team on the night. Blake Coleman had 9 points to go along with 8 rebounds in the game while Zac Orr finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again on Tuesday night for another region matchup as they face Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Georgia.
