After trailing by double-digits at halftime, the Bruins basketball team came roaring back with a big run in the second half to take the lead. Unfortunately, the comeback fell short as the team lost to Campbellsville University Harrodsburg 90-86 on Tuesday night in the Davis Field House. Hayes Brush led the Bruins with 21 points and 4 rebounds while Stephan Hugley added 17 points off the bench as the Bruins fall to 1-2 on the season.
"What we really tried to impress on the guys was the need to bring our defense," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "The guys responded to that at halftime and it was one of the more exciting halves I've been a part of in the comeback. The guys knew what they needed to do and I felt we did a lot of good things tonight."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a strong performance on Saturday as they picked up their first region win of the season with a victory over Trinity Baptist College. The Pioneers were set to play their season opener on Tuesday night as both teams took the court looking for a win.
In the opening minutes, the Pioneers came out strong as they pushed the tempo on fastbreaks to open witha 6-0 lead. Devin Dean hit a three to stop the bleeding for the Bruins as the team began to battle their way back into the game.
Despite playing well defensively, the Bruins struggled in converting their open looks on offense as they allowed the Pioneers to build their lead. Tyron Duncan led the Pioneers with 12 first half points as the Pioneers closed the half strong to lead the Bruins 47-33 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to get back into the game. The team came out strong as Hayes Brush hit a layup and then a three to help the Bruins cut the lead to single digits. The Bruins forced the Pioneers into turnovers and tough looks on offense and used those opportunities to score and close the gap.
As a result, the Bruins went on a 25-10 run in the second half as the team roared back to take the lead. Stephan Hugley recorded back to back buckets in the paint as the Bruins led 61-57 near the midway point of the half.
Both teams went back and forth as the game began to draw to a close. With just under six minutes to play, Chris Rawlins hit a three for the Pioneers to give the team a 70-67 lead over the Bruins. Rawlins wasn't done as he hit another jumper and then added another three to stretch the lead to 75-69.
The Bruins called timeout as they tried to battle back in the final minutes. With less than a minute to go, Hayes Brush scored a layup to cut the lead to 86-83. The Bruins had to foul to try to get back into the game, but the Pioneers made key free throws down the stretch. Despite a late three by Eli Cupples to make it 88-86. Chris Rawlins hit four straight free throws down the stretch to ice the victory for the Pioneers 90-86.
"This is a veteran team we played tonight," Coach Uwarow said. "We ended up out rebounding them and had several guys who stepped up for us tonight. Ultimately, we came up a little bit short but it's good for these young guys to get this experience against tough teams. That's the only way they will learn and grow into these roles. We're proud of how they responded tonight."
The Bruins took care of the basketball committing just 8 turnovers in the game. The team shot 44% from the field and won the rebounding margin 38-37 in the game. Four players scored in double figures for the Bruins in the loss.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up the first semester of play on November 24 as they welcome Piedmont College to Greenville.
