Henry Blair and Eli Cupples powered the Bruins offense on Thursday afternoon as the pair combined to score 46 points. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Bruins fell to Keiser University 76-67 in Babson Park, Florida. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 4-8 on the season.
"Today was one of my favorite games coaching at Bob Jones," Bruins Head Men's Basketball Coach Burton Uwarow said. "I love seeing guys who respond well when they get an opportunity and we had several players step up for us in this game. Unfortunately, we just couldn't come away with the win."
The Bruins came into the game looking to get back into the winning column as the team fell to Webber International on Tuesday to begin the second semester of play. Keiser University came into Thursday's game having won two of their last three games. The Bruins and Seahawks took the court at Sabbagh Athletic Center as the game was set to begin.
Back to back threes by Core'von Lott helped give the Seahawks an early 11-2 lead as Keiser came out of the gate strong. The Bruins battled their way back into the game as Trevor Brunson and Henry Blair each knocked down a three to cut into the lead as the Bruins battled all the way back to trail 22-21 near the midway point of the first half.
Mark Dickerson gave the Bruins their first lead of the game as the junior captain hit a three with just over eight minutes to go in the half to give the Bruins a 27-25 lead. The two teams then traded baskets down the stretch with Keiser closing the half with a 40-38 lead.
As the second half began, both teams came out strong with threes by Eli Cupples and Henry Blair answered back by the Seahawks on the offensive end. The Seahawks then went on a 10-2 run as Core'von Lott hit another three to spark the run and give Keiser their biggest lead of the half.
The Bruins refused to back down as they continued to try to claw their way back into the game. Unfortunately, the Seahawks were able to make key shots down the stretch as they held off the Bruins to win 76-67.
"With some players being out we've lost some of our usual scoring," Coach Uwarow said. "We need some guys to step into those roles to be able to score points and help us in other areas as well. We look forward to learning from this and heading into region play this weekend."
Henry Blair led the Bruins scoring 25 points while Eli Cupples scored 21 in the loss. The Bruins shot 50% from the field and 53% from three point range in the first half, but the team struggled to convert key baskets in the second half as they came up short in the loss to Keiser.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up their Florida road trip on Saturday as the team begins South region play with a matchup against Johnson University (FL) in Kissimmee, Florida.
