A strong defensive effort fueled the BJU Bruins to a 71-52 win over region-rival Toccoa Falls Eagles on Tuesday night in the Davis Field House. With the win, the Bruins improve to 4-13 on the season and 4-1 in conference play.
The BJU Bruins jumped out to a quick 19-7 lead to start the game thanks to a defensive full-court press which took the Eagles out of the flow of their offense, keeping them scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. The Bruins forced seven turnovers in the first half and fifteen for the game.
"We executed our game plan in the first half," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We did a great job of communicating and forcing Toccoa Falls to work for their shots."
Jayson Barnhart and Quiyante Burroughs each had a great first half performance combining to score 19 of the team's 31 points, leading the Bruins to a comfortable 31-18 halftime advantage.
"A lot of different guys played well for us tonight," Bruins forward Quiyante Burroughs said. "A lot of guys did a lot of great things that didn't show up in the box score."
In the first seven minutes of the second half, Toccoa Falls started to cut into the Bruins' lead with a 14-6 run. With the score now 37-32, Daniel Fuller hit a clutch three-pointer to end the Eagles' run. From that point on the Eagles were never able to make the score any closer, as the Bruins cruised to a 71-52 victory.
"It was a great team effort tonight," Bruins freshman guard Jon Allen said. Allen had a solid all-around effort for the team with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and two steals. "We didn't have our best shooting night but we found a way to win."
As a team the Bruins shot 45% on all field goal attempts and 5-19 ((26%) on three-pointers. Jayson Barnhart led the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds while Quiyante Burroughs and Jon Allen each scored 12 points.
"If we are going to continue to win games, limiting turnovers will be a key," Coach Uwarow said. "We did a great job tonight taking care of the ball."
Next up, the Bruins will look to build on their two-game winning streak as they welcome #4 ranked Johnson University of Tennessee on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. in the Davis Field House.
