The Bruins played their first of their NCAA DI opponents for the 2021-22 season on Tuesday night as the team fell to Wofford College 117-79 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Henry Blair led the Bruins with 25 points in the loss.
"I am really proud of where we are at this point of the year," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "The guys have shown improvement even since Friday night. We'll learn from this and hopefully get better as a result."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a season-opening loss to Piedmont University on Friday. The Bruins knew they would be in for a tough test as they took the court against the Terriers in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
From the opening tip, the Terriers came out strong as Ryan Larson and Max Klesmit knocked down threes to help Wofford jump out to an 8-0 lead. The Bruins tried to keep pace, but struggled against the size and length of the Terriers as Wofford continued to push the tempo and find open looks to extend the lead. After another three by Ryan Larson, the Terriers led 25-5.
The Bruins slowly began to chip away at the lead as Henry Blair and Daniel Fuller each scored in the paint for the team. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bruins trailed 63-30 going into the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to cut into the large lead. Devin Dean started the scoring with a basket in the paint while Henry Blair knocked down a three. Still, the Terriers continued to match the Bruins basket for basket as they maintained their large lead. The Bruins were able to show some flashes of brilliance but the team continued to struggle in slowing the Terriers as the game ended with Wofford winning 117-79.
"We go into these games looking for one, or two things that we know will help us further down the road," Coach Uwarow said. "We keep these things internal, but I can tell you that our guys did a great job of accomplishing those things against Wofford who was chosen to win the conference this year."
Three players scored in double figures with the Bruins with Blair leading the way shooting 67% from the field. Devin Dean finished with 13 points and Daniel Fuller 11 points as the Bruins shot 48% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Tuesday as they face Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.
