Box Score
A strong second half performance fueled the BJU Bruins to an 82-66 victory over #7 Portland Bible College in the quarterfinals of the NCCAA DII National Tournament held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
It was a back and forth first half of play as Portland came out with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor creating steals and open shots for sharpshooter Cameron Jensen, who made four three-pointers in the first half.
"Portland is a great team with many talented shooters," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "They spaced the floor and really challenged our defense."
Early in the first half Portland held a 13-11 lead, but the Bruins had an answer. Freshman Quiyante Burroughs provided a spark off the bench with back to back layups along with a pair of Nate Ellenwood three pointers to fuel a 10-0 scoring run to regain the lead. The Bruins went into halftime with a 36-25 advantage.
In the second half junior Quez Fisher played a critical role off the bench tonight for the Bruins. Fisher's big frame was a matchup nightmare for a smaller Wildcat team. Fisher finished with 11 points all coming in the second half.
"Quez came up big for us tonight," said Coach Uwarow. "He was aggressive on both ends of the floor and affected a lot of their shots inside."
The Wildcats rallied back late in the game to cut the Bruin lead to 71-64 with 4 minutes left. The Bruins responded with two clutch baskets from Quez Fisher to seal the game, going on to win by the score of 82-66.
Efficient shooting was a big part of the Bruins' success in the 2nd half, shooting 75% making 15 of their 20 shot attempts. Nate Ellenwood led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Jayson Barnhart scored 17 and Dustin Killough finished with 16 points.
With the win, the Bruins advance to the final four and will play #3 seeded Grace Bible College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the NCCAA DII National Semifinals. Grace is coming off a 91-77 win over Dallas Christian College on Thursday.
