The Bruins basketball team came up just short on Saturday afternoon as the team fell to North Greenville University (NCAA DII) 72-64 in Tigerville, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 6-15 on the season.
"I was really happy with our focus and effort today," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We played a really tough opponent and had chances to win. We could not overcome some of their size down in the post and we had some scoring droughts in the game which hurt us in the end."
The Bruins were back on the court just hours after their region win on Friday night as the team defeated Trinity Baptist College 74-65 to move into first place in the NCCAA DII South Region. The Crusaders came into the game with a 4-18 record having dropped two of their last three games.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Crusaders went back and forth as the two teams traded baskets and the lead. Blake Coleman provided back to back threes for the Bruins as the team trailed 15-14 near the halfway point of the first half. The Bruins kept up the pressure and took the lead thanks to a layup by Zac Orr and a three by Jon Allen. The Crusaders came roaring back with a 9-0 run and carried that momentum into halftime as they led 34-29 at the break.
The Bruins charged out of the gate in the second half as they opened with a 7-2 run thanks to a layup and a three by Jayson Barnhart. The Crusaders responded with a run of their own as they fought back to take the lead. The two teams continued to battle as neither would allow the other to build a sizeable lead.
With just over seven minutes remaining, Barnhart scored on the fastbreak to cut the Bruins deficit to 52-49. Unfortunately, that's the closest the Bruins would get the remainder of the game as the Crusaders were able to make key baskets and free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 72-65 win.
"I'm really proud of how our guys responded in playing two games in 17 hours," Coach Uwarow said. "That's really tough to do but they responded well."
Jayson Barnhart led the Bruins with 19 points while Jon Allen finished the game with 17. The Bruins battled in the game and were efficient in aspects of the game including free throws as the team shot 84% from the line.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home on Tuesday night as the team welcomes Carolina Christian College in their last non-region contest of the season. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in the Davis Field House.
