Four players finished in double figures for the Bruins, but the team couldn't overcome their halftime deficit as they fell to USC Upstate 92-74 on Saturday afternoon in Spartanburg, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins finish the first semester of play at 6-7 overall.
"Really the difference for us in this game was again our turnovers," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "When we held them into their half court offense, we were right with them but we just struggled to limit their transition scoring which allowed them to build their lead."
The Bruins came into the game on Saturday after having their four-game winning streak snapped on Thursday in a loss to Gardner-Webb University. The Bruins hoped to rebound but knew they would be in for another NCAA DI tough test as they faced the Spartans who came into the game at 3-8 overall.
The last time these two teams played, the Bruins pulled off the upset winning 83-79 in 2015. As both teams took the court at the G.B. Hodge Center, the Bruins hoped history would repeat itself.
Nate Ellenwood gave the Bruins the early lead as he hit a three point shot to open the scoring and help the team build an 8-4 lead. Daniel Fuller added to the three-point scoring mix as the sophomore hit a three to put the Bruins up 11-8 as the game reached near the midway point of the first half.
The Spartans began to find open opportunities near the rim and attacked the glass to spark a 13-0 run with just over eight minutes remaining in the half. Freshman Elijah Cupples hit a three to stop the run, but the Spartans came right back as they continued to stretch their lead.
With minutes to play in the half, Kendall Norrington provided a boost for the Bruins with back to back baskets. Still, the Spartans maintained their double-digit lead as the Bruins trailed 48-31 at the break. The Bruins had kept pace as the team shot 57% from three-point range in the half. Turnovers proved to be a factor for the team as they went into halftime looking to make adjustments.
In the second half, Nate Ellenwood and Jayson Barnhart each hit a three but the Spartans answered right back refusing to let the Bruins close the gap. Near the midway point of the half, the Bruins went on a run thanks to back to back three pointers by Daniel Fuller cutting the lead to 69-56.
The Bruins had grabbed momentum and looked to make a run to get back into the game. The Spartans had other plans as Upstate went on a run to put the game out of reach. The Spartans were led by 23 points from freshman Tommy Bruner as the team went on to defeat the Bruins 92-74.
Despite being outscored by a seventeen point margin in the first half, the Bruins were even with the Spartans in the second half scoring (44-43). Nate Ellenwood and Kendall Norrington led the Bruins with 15 points while each also tallied 6 rebounds in the loss. Daniel Fuller and Jayson Barnhart were the other players scoring in double figures with Fuller scoring 11 and Barnhart 10.
On the day, the Bruins shot 46% from the field including shooting 47% from beyond the arc. The Bruins were narrowly edged in the rebounding margin 36-31 to Upstate while committing 19 turnovers in the game.
"I'm pretty happy with the progress we've made to this point in the season," Coach Uwarow said. "We've had a difficult schedule first semester and yet we've been competitive in the games we have played. Now we're heading into more of our region schedule moving forward and we're looking forward to seeing what this team can do after the break."
With the loss, the Bruins head into Christmas break after battling through a difficult schedule in first semester of play. The team will be back in action January 9 as they play three games in three days in Kissimmee, Florida. The Bruins will face defending NCCAA DII National Champion Grace Christian University on January 9 with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
