The Bruins basketball team capped off the 2018-19 regular season with a win as the team defeated Johnson University of Florida 71-66. With the win, the Bruins improve to 8-16 overall and 7-1 in region play.
"We've come together as a team," Bruins captain Jayson Barnhart said. He finished with 21 points in the win. "We started the year apart and now we are playing as one. All we care about is playing for the audience of One and winning games. We're playing together as a team and everyone is contributing."
The Bruins and Suns had met earlier in the season with the Bruins winning 85-74 in Kissimmee, Florida on January 5. The Bruins were coming into the game having defeated region-rival Pensacola Christian College last Saturday. The team was looking to march into the NCCAA DII South Region Tournament with a win as they took the court for their final game of the regular season.
Zac Orr recorded back to back layups for the Bruins as the team was off and running, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. The Suns were able to close the gap thanks to the hot shooting of Anthony Young as they cut the lead down to 13-9.
As the half wore on, both teams traded baskets as the score remained close. With just over seven minutes to play in the first half, Mike Levy hit a three for the Suns to tie the game at 22-22. The lead changed several times in the final minutes of the half as the two teams went into the break with the score tied 36-36.
The Suns used back to back baskets to open the second half strong as they took a 43-38 lead. The Bruins were able to answer from the post play of Zac Orr as he scored on two straight possessions to cut the lead to 48-47.
With under five minutes to go, both teams knew each possession was that much more important. With the Bruins leading by three, Daniel Fuller hit a three to increase the lead 59-53. The Suns came right back as Anthony Young drained a three to make it 59-56. Young was able to later give the Suns the lead as another three put JUFL on top 60-59.
Jayson Barnhart provided a clutch shot with under two minutes to play as the captain hit a three to give the Bruins a 62-61 lead. On the next possession, Zac Orr took a charge as the Bruins got the ball back. Barnhart again came up big as good ball movement freed him up with an open lane for a layup as the Bruins lead 64-61. Although the Suns would claw back late, the Bruins were able to hit clutch free throws down the stretch as they held on for a 71-66 win.
"We did a really good job with our transition defense," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We knew we needed to show that we could be successful in the half court game and we did that tonight. We also did a great job of spreading the scoring and much of our success this season is accomplished when we get everyone involved. I'm proud of these guys and how we ended the season. A lot of people wouldn't have predicted that we'd be 7-1 in the region after what we've faced this year."
Four players scored in double figures on the night for the Bruins. Jayson Barnhart had 21 points while Zac Orr powered the team with a double-double 14 points and 11 rebounds. Daniel Fuller finished with 11 points while Cam McKennedy sparked the Bruins with 10 points off the bench, shooting 4-5 from the field.
With the win, the Bruins finish the regular season and will look ahead to the NCCAA DII South Region Tournament next week in Kissimmee, Florida. The team will be the #2 seed in the tournament and will face the same Johnson University of Florida Suns. Final scheduling for the tournament will be confirmed early next week.
