Box Score
Nate Ellenwood's triple-double led the way as the Bruins defeated #3 seeded Grace Bible College to earn their first trip to the NCCAA DII National Championship game. Ellenwood had 34 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in the win.
The atmosphere in the Davis Field House was electric on Friday night. Students, alumni, and fans packed in to cheer on the Bruins in the NCCAA national semifinal. The team was coming off an 82-66 win over #7 Portland Bible College on Thursday night.
"Bruin Nation gave us a huge lift tonight," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow. "We really fed off their noise and energy."
Both teams kept exchanging leads in the first half, as there were 16 lead changes in the first twenty minutes. Grace held a 39-38 lead with three minutes remaining. The Bruins came firing back with a 9-0 run to end the first half to take the lead 47-39 going into halftime.
"Everybody on the team played a role tonight," Bruins senior guard Matt DeHart said. "From guys 1 to 12 everyone contributed."
In the second half, the Bruins turned up their intensity on defense. Chris Gray and Quez Fisher each took turns guarding Grace's 7- foot center Adam Rayner, limiting him to 9 points and 4 rebounds on the night.
"Chris and Quez played a critical part in tonight's win," said Coach Uwarow. "They played with a lot of physicality and toughness guarding their big men."
With four minutes remaining Grace cut the Bruins lead to 80-77. On the following two BJU possessions, Jayson Barnhart scored two critical buckets to extend the lead to 84-77. After a third straight stop defensively, Justin Matthews found Quez Fisher for a three-point play that put the game out of reach with under two minutes remaining as the Bruins went on to win by the score of 94-84.
"Tonight was a great win but we are not done yet," Coach Uwarow said. "There is still one game left to be played and we have to come out with the same sense of urgency."
Ellenwood's memorable performance led the way for the Bruins but the team also got solid contributions from others as Jayson Barnhart finished with 17 points, Justin Matthews with 15 and Dustin Killough with 13. On the day, the Bruins shot nearly 60% from the field and 56% from three-point range.
The Bruins will take on #1 seeded Randall University Saints on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. for the NCCAA DII national title. The Bruins fell to Randall in the opening round of last year's national tournament. The Saints have won two-straight national championships and enter the championship game tomorrow after a 95-88 overtime victory over #4 Johnson University on Friday.
