The Bruins had six players score in double figures as the team defeated Carolina Christian 78-67 on Friday night in the Davis Field House in Greenville, South Carolina. Stephan Hugley led the Bruins with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win as the team improves to 2-5 on the season.
"Each game we are improving," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "When we have six players scoring in double figures that is a winning formula. We have some guys who are better at scoring than others and I thought we played very unselfishly tonight. We limited our turnovers and showed improvement in several other areas tonight."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of back to back tough losses against Campbellsville-Harrodsburg and Great Lakes Christian College last weekend. The team was looking to get back on track as they welcomed Carolina Christian in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
As the game began, the Centurions hit back to back baskets to jump out to an early 5-0 lead but the Bruins came roaring back on an 11-0 run thanks to a three by Chapman Harwood and layups from Eli Cupples and Hayes Brush.
The Bruins extended their lead as they forced the Centurions into turning the ball over which led to fastbreak points on the offensive end. Near the midway point of the half, Daniel Fuller knocked down a three-pointer to give the Bruins a 23-15 lead. The Bruins kept up their momentum as the team used a 20-6 run to extend their lead as they went into halftime on top 47-34.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to put the game away. Instead, the Centurions came roaring back with a run thanks to threes from Johnthan Cunningham and Edward Stoneham as Carolina Christian battled all the way back to trail 60-59 with just under twelve minutes to play.
The Bruins responded well and got a boost from Stephan Hugley who scored points in the paint and battled for boards on the glass. As a result, the Bruins pushed their lead back up to double-digits.
With the game drawing to a close, the Centurions tried to mount one last run to get back into the game but a key three-point play by Daniel Fuller and another layup by Stephan Hugley helped the Bruins hold off Carolina Christian as they went on to win 78-67.
"We started off the second half slow but I was proud of how the guys turned it around," Coach Uwarow said. "We have a quick turnaround and will be playing against a tough Toccoa team on Monday. It's a tough place but it's another opportunity to change our best."
The Bruins forced 23 turnovers in the game while shooting 46% from the floor as a team. The team also controlled the rebounding margin 47-34 against the Centurions. Overall, it was a great team win for the Bruins.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Monday night as they play an NCCAA DII South Region matchup against Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia.
