The Bruins were on the road on Thursday morning in a rare day-game as the team fell to Gardner-Webb University (NCAA DI) 94-70 in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Nate Ellenwood led the Bruins with 18 points and 6 assists as the team falls to 6-6 on the season.
"We really improved on our turnovers today," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said following the loss. "It's not where we want to be but it is an improvement from where we have been. Really what killed us was falling behind early and we just didn't recover after that."
The Bruins came into the game on a four-game winning streak including defeating Clinton College 78-62 on Saturday night. The team knew they would be in for a tough matchup on Thursday as they faced the Bulldogs who came into the game at 3-8 overall and riding a three-game losing streak.
From the opening tip, the Bulldogs stormed out as they hit three-straight threes to build an 11-0 advantage. The Bruins tried to answer back, but the Bulldogs continued to maintain the upper hand as they worked the ball around for open shots. After Lance Terry hit a three for Gardner-Webb, the Bulldogs led 22-6 just over five minutes into the game.
The Bruins regrouped as they began to find their rhythm offensively and chipped away at the lead. Cam McKennedy again provided a spark for the Bruins off the bench with 5 points in the first half to go along with solid defensive play.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the half, Hayes Brush hit a three to cut the lead back to fifteen at 36-21. The Bulldogs closed out the half strong as they took a 52-32 lead into halftime.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to get back into the game. Jayson Barnhart started the scoring with back to back buckets but the Bulldogs matched on each possession to maintain their double-digit lead.
The Bruins remained within striking distance as a three by Nate Ellenwood cut the deficit to 66-49 near the midway point of the half. Unfortunately, each small run by the Bruins was stopped by the Bulldogs as they continued to pull away.
Jayson Barnhart finished with 12 points in the second half alone, but the Bruins couldn't seem to get the stops when they needed them most as the Bulldogs continued to stretch their lead. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had their winning streak snapped with a 94-70 loss on the road.
Three players finished in double-figures for the Bruins with Ellenwood leading the way with 18 points. Jayson Barnhart finished with 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds while freshman Kendall Norrington ended the game with 11 points and 5 rebounds. The Bruins shot 45% from the field in the game while also cutting down their turnovers.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up the first semester of play on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a matchup with University of South Carolina Upstate.
