Despite a career high 35 points by senior Jayson Barnhart, it wasn't enough as the BJU Bruins were defeated 81-71 by Erskine College on Thursday night. A slow start in the first half haunted the Bruins as Erskine jumped out to an early 23-8 lead in the first half. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 1-10 on the season.
"Jayson played a phenomenal game tonight," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "As a team we showed patience and had great ball movement which led to open scoring opportunities for him to score."
The Bruins scored on each of their first two possessions on buckets from Jayson Barnhart and Zachary Orr to take a 4-0 lead. Over the next ten minutes of the half Erskine went on a 23-4 scoring run to take command over the game. The Bruins were able to close the half strong thanks to good defensive play and working the ball around on offense as they battled back to trail 38-32 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins looked to claw their way back into the game. Instead, the Flying Fleet went on a run to build a double digit lead. The Bruins tried to battle back as Jayson Barnhart seemingly couldn't miss in the second half. Still, Erskine continued to hold the upper hand.
With four minutes remaining in the game, Erskine held a twenty point lead at 73-53. All hope had seemed lost but the Bruins kept battling. Jayson Barnhart hit a jumper followed by back to back three pointers from Stone Champion, the Bruins were able to cut the deficit.
Following two made free throws from Barnhart, a steal from freshman Jon Allen led to a fast break layup which cut the Erskine lead to eleven points at 76-65 with under two minutes remaining. In the final seconds the Bruins were able to make it a single digit game, which was an encouraging sign despite the loss.
"As a team we showed signs of maturity tonight," Bruins forward Zachary Orr said. He finished with four points and six rebounds in the game. "They punched us in the mouth early but we kept fighting and never gave up."
Austin Venable scored a team high 22 points for Erskine College. Tyler Brevard had 19 points and Jaywuan Washington finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
For the Bruins, Jayson Barnhart scored a career high 35 points. Freshmen Stone Champion and Daniel Fuller each scored 11 points, and fellow freshman Jon Allen finished with 10 points and six assists.
Next up, the Bruins will face off against Columbia International University on Saturday as they close out the first semester of play. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00.
