The Bruins got a big boost from freshman Devin Dean on Friday night as he scored 21 points and snagged three rebounds to lead the team to an 82-59 win over Welch College in Kissimmee, Florida. The Bruins improve to 7-8 on the season and bounced back in a big way after a tough loss to Grace Christian University on Thursday.
"Devin is just very hard for defenders to stay in front of," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "He is very aggressive and made a big difference for us tonight."
The Bruins began the second semester of play on Thursday as they faced #4 ranked Grace Christian University. Despite being in the game throughout, the Bruins gave up a late run to fall 91-78. Less than 24 hours later, the team was back on the court at the Sun Dome to face Welch College who came into the game at 6-6 overall.
From the opening tip, the Bruins came out strong as Dean attacked the rim for points. The freshman scored seven of the first nine points to help the team jump out to an 18-10 advantage. Defensively, the Bruins played well in forcing the Flames into tough looks and limiting second-chance opportunities.
Dean again scored for the Bruins with just minutes to play in the half as he finished the first twenty minutes with 11 points and 2 rebounds. Nate Ellenwood also was effective as he used soft touches in and around the rim for points. As a result, the Bruins took a 39-26 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong looking to extend their lead. Devin Dean threw down a dunk to energize the Bruins offense and freshman forward Kendall Norrington recorded back-to-back buckets to help the Bruins push their lead to 61-42 near the midway point of the half.
The Bruins kept up the offensive pressure as they swung the ball around the perimeter for open looks. Daniel Fuller and Cam McKennedy each hit from three as the Bruins led 75-54. The team never looked back as the final buzzer sounded to give the Bruins a dominant 82-59 win.
"In a three-day span of games like this, you have to consistently go to your bench and everyone found a way to contribute in this win," Coach Uwarow said. "We had really low turnovers and everyone played really well. We have a tough region game tomorrow against a good Johnson team. They are playing with a lot of momentum and we'll be fortunate to come away with a win but we're going to work hard to make that happen."
The Bruins shot an impressive 69% from the field in the game and 47% from beyond the arc. Defense set the tempo for the Bruins as a strong effort allowed the team to get out in transition and create open lanes and high-percentage shots.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up their three-game Florida road trip on Saturday night as they play a region matchup against Johnson University (FL). Tip-off for the game is set for 8 p.m.
