Box Score
The Bruins second-half rally came up short as the team fell to the #1 seeded Randall University Saints 86-84 in the NCCAA DII National Championship. The loss ended a historic run for the Bruins who had won 15 straight games as the team finishes the 2017-18 season at 22-11.
Last season, the Bruins met the Saints in the national tournament as they fell in the quarterfinals. The Bruins came into Saturday's game after defeating #7 Portland Bible College and #3 Grace Bible College to reach their first title game. The Saints came into the tournament with the top seed and defeated #8 Kentucky Christian University and #4 Johnson University. All season long, these two teams have been atop the NCCAA rankings with just 40 minutes to decide who would take the title.
The Bruins came out firing on all cylinders with an 11-2 run to open the game. The Bruin faithful gave the team a boost with their passionate cheering as they have throughout the national tournament. On the night, over 2,700 fans packed into the Davis Field House.
"Our crowd truly was the 6th man," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "The team really fed off their energy."
Randall answered back with a big run as Player of the Year Trey Sneed led the Saints with 30 points on the night. Still, the Bruins continued to stay within striking distance as back-to-back three-pointers by Jayson Barnhart and Dustin Killough fueled a rally that cut the halftime deficit to 52-44.
The Bruins continued rallying back as Justin Matthews drained a three-pointer eight seconds into the second half. With under seven minutes remaining Nate Ellenwood was able to find Justin Matthews for an open layup as the Bruins retook the lead 76-75.
"I was proud of our team for never giving up," Coach Uwarow said. "Losing by as many as 15 points early in the game, we just kept fighting."
On the next two possessions for Randall, Trey Sneed sunk two clutch three-pointers to give the Saints an 81-76 advantage with three minutes left. Just as they did all night long, the Bruins came rallying back. Jayson Barnhart scored eight consecutive points including two three-point plays. With thirty seconds remaining Barnhart's clutch free throw gave the Bruins an 84-83 lead.
With nineteen seconds remaining Randall's Trey Sneed was fouled sending him to the free throw line for a 1 and 1. Sneed came through in the clutch yet again draining both free throws to give the lead back to the Saints 85-84 with 24 seconds left on the clock.
Coach Uwarow used the team's last timeout to draw a play up for Jayson Barnhart who had the hot hand all night long. This time the Randall defense forced Barnhart to take a contested shot that was blocked, landing in the hands of Isaac Bowles. The Bruins fouled with two seconds remaining to send Bowles to the free throw line.
After making the first attempt, Bowles missed the second free throw. Quez Fisher grabbed the rebound and passed to Nate Ellenwood, whose last-second heave was no good as the Bruins fell to the Saints 86-84.
"We have nothing to hang our heads about," Coach Uwarow said. "We executed the game plan and played our hearts out. It was a record-breaking season and we should be proud of our accomplishments."
Barnhart led the Bruins on the night with 30 points as he was one of five players in double figures. Quez Fisher had 15 points and 9 rebounds while Nate Ellenwood added another double-double to his incredible season with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
The Bruins finished the season with a record of 22-11, winning 15 of their last 16 games. The Bruins will be losing 5 seniors from this year's team: Justin Matthews, Dustin Killough, Cooper George, Matt DeHart, and Robert Horn. Matthews, Horn, and Killough served as team captains this season.
"All of our seniors mean a lot to our basketball program," said Coach Uwarow. "They displayed what it means to be a Bruin both on and off the court."
