The Bruins had a tough time stopping NCAA DI Gardner- Webb University on Thursday morning as the team fell 105-37 in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 1-8 on the season.
"This is a team that was picked by some to possibly go to the NCAA tournament so we knew it was going to be a tough matchup," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We can see everything we are a step slow on when we play teams like this. It shows us a lot of what we need to work on and we have three more opportunities to improve before the semester ends."
Jayson Barnhart led the way for the Bruins with 20 points, but he was the only player who scored in double-figures as the senior forward accounted for over 50% of the team's points. The Bruins struggled shooting on the day as the team shot just 22% from the floor and just 5% from three-point range.
The Bruins exchanged baskets with the Bulldogs early on, but four-straight three-point shots by Gardner-Webb sparked a big run as they built a double-digit lead. The Bruins were able to get some points back at the free throw line, but still found themselves trailing by a wide margin at the half down 53-18.
With the game out of reach, the Bruins came out in the second half looking to make it respectable. Barnhart continued to provide the scoring touch for the Bruins but the team couldn't get any sustained offense going all game long. The final buzzer handed the Bruins their 8th loss of the season.
"We're still not doing a good job of closing out defensively," Coach Uwarow said. "We need to improve on that if we are going to be competitive in our region."
The Bulldogs owned the rebounding margin 54-29 while forcing the Bruins into 19 turnovers. Next up, the Bruins will welcome Southern Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon to the Davis Field House. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
