Four players scored in double figures for the Bruins but the team came up short in a 108-100 shootout against Erskine College on Thursday night in Due South, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall back to .500 on the season at 10-10 dropping their second-straight game.
"We started off a bit rough but came back and had a good finish to the first half," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "What got us back in the game was defending the three point shot and improving on our rebounding. When we do those things well, we know we can beat a lot of teams."
The Bruins came into the game after falling to Johnson University (TN) on Friday which snapped a four-game winning streak for the team. Coming into Thursday night, the Bruins knew they would be in for a tough road test as they faced the Flying Fleet. In their history, the Bruins had never won at Erskine College.
From the opening tip, the Fleet came out strong as a three by Jordan Watson sparked a 7-0 run to begin the game. The Bruins were able to slowly chip away at the lead thanks to the inside play of Jayson Barnhart and Kendall Norrington as the pair battled for points in the paint.
Near the midway point of the half, the Fleet to a 24-10 lead as the Bruins struggled to get into an offensive rhythm. The Bruins then rattled off three straight baskets and Cam McKennedy hit a three as the team trailed 31-21.
As the half was coming to a close, the combo of Devin Dean and Daniel Fuller sparked a late rally as the pair scored four straight baskets to help the Bruins battle back to trail 45-41 at the half.
The Bruins had grabbed momentum and built on it to begin the second half as the team battled back to take their first lead of the game 50-49. The Bruins kept up the pressure as points by Daniel Fuller, Devin Dean and Nate Ellenwood helped the team build their lead. The Fleet weren't about to go down that easily as they came back thanks to the scoring touch of Jaywaun Washington who finished with 26 points on the night.
Near the midway point of the second half, the score was tied 71-71 before the Fleet went on a run to reclaim the lead. Despite their efforts, the Bruins were struggling to keep pace as the team shot just 28% from three point range in the game.
The Bruins were able to battle back late in the half, but another late run by the Fleet put the game out of reach as the Bruins fell 108-100. Devin Dean led the Bruins with 25 points in the game while Nate Ellenwood finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Bruins stayed in the game thanks to good shooting from the free throw line (84%) and 53% shooting from the field. Still, the Fleet were able to make shots down the stretch as they improved to 6-13 on the season.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road next weekend for a key NCCAA South region matchup as they travel to Pensacola, Florida, to play rival Pensacola Christian College.
"This is our only game this week so we're looking forward to getting some rest before we play a region game next week," Coach Uwarow said. "We have a goal of wanting to end the season with an undefeated region record, but Pensacola is going to be ready for us and we know it is going to be a tough game."
