The Bruins men's basketball team remained unbeaten in region play as the team stormed back in the second half to defeat Toccoa Falls College 93-86 in Toccoa, Georgia. Seven different players scored in double figures for the Bruins with Devin Dean leading the way with 19 points and 7 assists in the win.
"This was just a great team win for us overall," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We are well-rounded and when you play that way you give yourself a good chance to win in each game. "
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a win over Carolina Christian on Friday night. In that game, the Bruins offense was in sync as the team had six players score in double figures in the win.
The Screaming Eagles entered the game at 3-11 overall but the team had been playing well of late winning three of their last four games. Both teams took the court as the next chapter of this region rivalry was set to be written.
In the opening minutes, the Screaming Eagles rode the energy of the hometown crowd to take an early lead. The Bruins came right back Eli Cupples knocked down a three to tie the game at 13-13.
Near the midway point of the first half, the score remained close with neither team able to pull away from the other. That changed as the Screaming Eagles went on an 8-0 run to take a 29-21 lead. Toccoa rode the play of Luke Baham and Cam Dismuke as the pair combined for 21 first-half points.
The Screaming Eagles pushed their lead to as many as sixteen but the Bruins were able to close the deficit with a three from Cupples and a jumper from Devin Dean as the team trailed 50-39 at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to get back into the game. Quincey Sibley recorded a three-point play early on for the Bruins, but Toccoa continued to keep the lead and matched the Bruins basket for basket.
Near the midway point of the half, the Bruins went on a big run as Sibley and Dean hit jump shots to help spark an 28-5 run to help the team battle back and retake the lead. The Bruins had grabbed momentum and it showed as threes by Kenney Garrick, Eli Cupples and Quincey Sibley further stretched the lead.
With just over five minutes to play, Cam Dismuke scored for TFC to cut the deficit back to single digits 79-71. The hometown fans wanted a comeback and the Screaming Eagles fed off that energy to battle back and trail BJU 81-77 with just minutes to play.
The Bruins effectively sliced their way through the TFC full court press, opening up layup opportunities for Stephan Hugley as the team kept the slim lead. With just seconds remaining, the Screaming Eagles tried to mount one last rally, but the Bruins came up with big plays down the stretch including a key steal by Chapman Harwood as the team held on to win 93-86 over Toccoa Falls.
"This was our first road game this season," Coach Uwarow said. "As hard as this season has been, it's good for the guys to get this opportunity. We have another tough road game coming up this weekend against one of the top teams in the NCCAA. We'll see how our guys respond. "
The Bruins improve to 3-5 on the season and are now 2-0 in region play. The team shot 53% from the field in the game, including shooting 58% from beyond the arc. In the second half alone, the Bruins shot 67% from three point range which allowed the team to battle back for the win.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again on Saturday as the team faces Johnson University (TN) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
