Bruins guard Daniel Fuller led the charge for the Bruins in the opening half as the freshman shot 58% from beyond the arc to help the team build an early lead. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last as the Erskine Flying Fleet came roaring back to win the game 78-64 on Thursday night in Due West, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 2-12 on the season.
"Erskine is a tough NCAA D2 opponent and their depth, skill, and experience overwhelmed us in the second half," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We competed well in the first half and I'm extremely proud of Daniels shooting performance as well as Zac, Jon, and Stone who played well despite sickness and injury."
The Bruins were shorthanded yet again as Zac Orr had to miss the game much of the game due to illness while guards Jon Allen and Stone Champion were nursing injuries. Still, the Bruins battled hard and made it a great showing in a tough road contest. Earlier this season, the Fleet and Bruins met in Greenville with Erskine coming away with an 81-71 victory in the Davis Field House. The Bruins entered the game having won their first game to start the new year with an 85-74 win over Johnson University of Florida on Saturday.
Despite the Fleet getting the games first basket, the Bruins came out strong as Quiyante Burroughs hit a three and Daniel Fuller followed suit as the team built an 8-2 lead. The Fleet began to slowly chip away at the lead but the Bruins remained on top thanks to the shooting of guard Jon Allen who knocked down a pair of threes to help the Bruins lead 19-16 near the midway point of the half.
From there, the two teams went back and forth trading baskets and the lead. With just under two minutes to play in the half, Daniel Fuller hit his third three of the half to give the Bruins a 38-36 lead. The Bruins looked to take that lead into the half but the Fleet had other plans as Tyler Brevard knocked down a three with just seconds to go to give Erskine a 39-38 advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins looked to have another hot start. Instead, the hometown Flying Fleet came out with a 15-2 run to start the half and take a 53-40 lead. Undaunted, the Bruins battles back as they worked the ball to their captain Jayson Barnhart who had a team-leading 17 points on the night.
The Fleet weren't allowing the Bruin to gain any ground as baskets by BJU were matched point for point on the opposite end. With just over three minutes to play in the game, Sophmore Cam McKennedy scored a basket in the paint to cut the deficit to 73-59. Unfortunately, that margin was as close as the Bruins would come the remainder of the game as the final buzzer handed the Bruins a tough road loss 78-64.
Jayson Barnhart and Daniel Fuller each had 17 points on the night. Cam McKennedy had a strong game against his old team with 8 rebounds and 7 points off the bench. Fuller finished the game 4-7 (58%) from three-point range, but one of the stories of the game for the Bruins was the tale of two halves from beyond the arc. In the first half, the Bruins shot an impressive 55% from three but were just 1-14 in the second half. Still, the Bruins had several highlights in the game including just 8 turnovers in the full forty minutes of play.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home on Saturday as they welcome Barber-Scotia College to the Davis Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
