The Bruins got back into the winning column on Friday night as the team defeated Oglethorpe University 91-78 in the Davis Field House. Henry Blair led the Bruins with 27 point and 5 assists as the team improves to 3-6 on the season.
"That was one of the best defensive performances we've had since I've been coaching here," Bruins Head Men's Basketball Coach Burton Uwarow said. "Our team had some great practices this week and I knew we were going to come out strong tonight especially on defense. It was a great win for us."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of back to back losses last week. The Stormy Petrels entered Friday's game at 5-2 on the season having defeated Berry College in their previous game. The Bruins hoped to snap their two-game losing skid as both teams took the court.
Oglethorpe jumped out to an early lead but the Bruins came back with Henry Blair and Eli Cupples knocking down three-pointers to give the team a 7-5 lead. Throughout the first half, the Bruins and Petrels went back and forth with several ties and lead changes.
Near the halfway point of the first half, Blair muscled his way for a basket in the paint before Cupples again knocked down a three to give the team a slim 20-18 advantage. Still, the Petrels continued to answer the Bruins basket for basket as the score remained close.
In the closing minutes of the half, the Bruins found their rhythm offensively as the team went on an 11-0 run end the half. Hayes Brush gave the Bruins a spark going into the locker room as he made the steal and ran coast to coast for the dunk as time expired to give the team a 45-34 lead at halftime.
The Bruins picked up where they left off to start the second half as Devin Dean and Stephan Hugley each scored points in the paint before Brush hit a three to make it 52-38. The Petrels remained within striking distance but the Bruins found key shots to maintain the upper hand.
With just over twelve minutes to play, Mark Dickerson hit a three for the Bruins to push their lead to 70-52. Oglethorpe would answer back with a short run but Joe Powell hit a three as the Bruins maintained their double-digit advantage.
The story of the game was the defensive effort for the Bruins as the team forced the Petrels into tough shots and turnovers while also limiting Oglethorpe in second-chance opportunities. As a result, the Bruins were able to push their lead to as much as 20 and held off a late rally to win 91-78.
"By us playing defense it opened up things offensively," Bruins forward Henry Blair said after the win. "We were able to make them uncomfortable which helped fuel our offense. Our coaches have stressed the hard work defensively and I thought we did well with that tonight."
The Bruins had three players score in double figures on the night as the team shot 55% from the field and 48% from three point range. Blair's 27 led the way but Devin Dean finished the night with 16 points and 8 rebounds while Eli Cupples had 15 points and 8 assists in the game.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up the first semester of play on Saturday as the team faces Calvary University at 12 p.m. in Greenville, South Carolina.
