The Bruins basketball team held off the Brevard College Tornados 73-66 to win their home opener of the 2019-20 season. Freshman Hayes Brush led the Bruins with 14 points and 5 rebounds in the win as the team improves to 3-5 on the season.
"One thing our guys have shown is that they won't give up," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow. "We just played game number eight tonight and we're doing it on a year that we haven't had as many practices as in years past. It was sloppy at times tonight but it was also really good tonight in a lot of ways."
The Bruins came into the game after back to back losses before the Thanksgiving break. The Bruins and Tornados had met a few weeks before in North Carolina, with the Bruins edging Brevard College 80-78. As both teams took the court, the Bruin faithful were out in full voice as the fans were excited to see their home team compete.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins struggled to maintain possession as the team committed turnovers on each of their first four possessions. As a result, the Tornados jumped out to an early lead 11-3.
After a timeout, the Bruins came back and began to chip away at the lead as Jayson Barnhart and Zac Orr scored in the paint. The team got a spark from Cam McKennedy and Kendall Norrington off the bench as the pair sparked a run to help the Bruins take a 21-18 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half.
The Bruins continued to keep the lead thanks to another layup by McKennedy as the senior finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds in the game. The Tornados were able to take the lead with a minute to go in the half as Demari Hooper hit a three to make it 32-31. Jayson Barnhart scored on the Bruins next possession as the team took a 33-32 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins pushed their lead thanks to steals and transition points by Hayes Brush. The freshman hit a big three for the Bruins near the midway point of the half after saving the ball out of bounds and then hitting a three in the corner to put the team up 49-40.
The Tornados refused to quit as the team came roaring back to tie the game at 54-54 after Mike Williams hit a three. From there, the two teams traded baskets with the score remaining close.
With just minutes remaining, Nate Ellenwood hit a three point shot to put the Bruins up 61-58 and the team stood strong defensively as they forced the Tornados into tough looks. The Bruins were able to keep the lead thanks to key free throws down the stretch as the team held on for a 73-66 win.
Brush led the way with 14 points while Ellenwood also finished with a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Despite committing 26 turnovers, the Bruins were able to play well defensively and outrebounded the Tornados 42-36 in the game.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Saturday for their first region matchup of the season. The team will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, as they face region rival Trinity Baptist College.
