After trailing by as much as fourteen points in the first half, the Bruins stormed back in the second half as they defeated the Trinity Baptist College Eagles 75-62. With the win, the Bruins finish the regular season at 13-12 overall and a perfect 7-0 in region play.
"We allowed them to get threes off early and we weren't defending well," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "When we defend well it allows us to get up and down the floor which fuels our offense. At halftime, we talked about what group was going to be the grittiest group for us and we had guys step up big for us."
Prior to the game, the Bruins honored their five seniors on the team for their contributions to the program throughout their careers. The team honored Zac Orr, Jon Allen, Cam McKennedy, Nate Ellenwood, and Jayson Barnhart who each were playing their last regular season home game in front of the hometown fans.
"These guys have each meant so much to our program," Coach Uwarow said. "This is a special group of guys who came in and really bought into what we are trying to do here. They each are going to leave a mark on this program after they graduate."
The Bruins came into Saturday's game after defeating Toccoa Falls College earlier in the week. The Bruins and Eagles met earlier this season with the Bruins winning convincingly on the road 78-55. With the hometown crowd out in full voice, the Bruins hoped to send their seniors off with a win.
In the opening minutes, the Eagles came out strong as they silenced the crowd to build a 10-4 lead. The Bruins struggled to close out defensively and contest shooters and the Eagles continued to hit open looks and extend their lead.
Near the midway point of the half, Kenton Bibbs hit a three for the Eagles to give TBC a 30-18 lead. The Bruins struggled to maintain possession as costly turnovers allowed extra possessions for the Eagles. Despite their struggles, the Bruins continued to battle and trailed 40-29 at halftime.
The Bruins came out in the second half needing a spark and they would find one off the scoring touch of freshman Hayes Brush. In the early stages of the half, Brush hit back to back threes, before Chapman Harwood and Elijah Cupples each struck from beyond the arc to spark a big run for the Bruins. Momentum had shifted and it showed as the Bruins pushed the ball in transition and got stops defensively.
After a three by Cupples, the Bruins took their first lead of the game at 54-52. From there, the Bruins continued to stretch their lead thanks to great ball movement and converting on open shots.
With just under four minutes remaining, Jayson Barnhart scored on a layup to give the Bruins a 67-57 lead. The team never looked back as they forced the Eagles to score just 10 points over the final eleven minutes of the game to complete the comeback with a 75-62 win.
Hayes Brush led the Bruins with 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the game while Nate Ellenwood finished with a double-double on the night with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. In the second half, the Bruins caught fire from three-point range shooting 60% from beyond the arc.
Next up, the Bruins will await the final seeding for the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament. The region playoffs will be hosted at Bob Jones University with the tournament beginning on Thursday, February 27. Final seeding for the tournament will be determined over the weekend.
