Turnovers plagued the Bruins on Tuesday night as the team was defeated 89-74 by the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats in the Davis Field House. With the loss, the team falls to 5-14 on the season.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 19-9 lead in the first half thanks to a great shooting night. The Wildcats made six three pointers in the first half, making 56% of their total field goal attempts. On the flipside, the Bruins couldn't keep pace as turnovers by BJU allowed the Wildcats to continue to maintain their double-digit advantage.
As the half wore on, the tide started to turn in the Bruins' favor. Jayson Barnhart gave the Bruins a lift with 13 first half points, helping the team keep pace as they went into halftime trailing 46-37. Rebounding and limiting turnovers were key for the Bruins in keeping the score within reach, as BJU outrebounded JWU 18-10 in the first half and 36-23 for the entire game.
"We did a great job of boxing out and using our size advantage to grab rebounds," said Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow. "That and limiting our turnovers were our focal points this week in practice."
Halfway through the second half, the Wildcats were able to expand their lead up to a game-high sixteen points, holding a 67-51 advantage. Eleven second half turnovers was costly to a BJU rally after only turning the ball over six times in the first half.
"Turnovers really hurt us in the second half," said freshman Jaazaniah Cofer. "We were unable to execute our offense and get easy shots."
With the score at 67-51 with ten minutes remaining, the Bruins were able to bounce back and start a rally of their own. The Bruins went on a 19-7 scoring run to cut the deficit to 74-70 with three minutes remaining, following a clutch jumper from Jayson Barnhart.
On the following possession, Kajuan Madden-McAfee answered with a dagger three pointer to get the Wildcat lead back up to seven points. The Bruins were never able to cut back into the deficit as Johnson & Wales went on to win the game by the score of 89-74.
"Johnson & Wales is a great all-around team," said Coach Uwarow. "They hit a lot of clutch shots tonight and did a great job containing us defensively."
Jayson Barnhart led the way for the BJU Bruins scoring 24 points. Jon Allen had 16 points and seven assists, and Quiyante Burroughs finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Next up, the Bruins will host Trinity Baptist College on Friday night in the Davis Field House. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
