Despite battling back throughout the late stages of the game, the Bruins fell on Saturday as Brevard College held on for a 97-89 win in the Davis Field House. With the loss, the Bruins have dropped three straight and sit at 3-4 on the season.
"Brevard is always better the second time and Coach Burgess does a great job with that group," Interim Head Coach Tony Miller said. "That style of offense is difficult to guard. We were looking for improvement defensively and I thought we showed some of that today so I am proud of our guys."
The Bruins came into the game after having not played for nearly a week and a half. The team welcomed Brevard College who entered the game at 2-6 on the season. These two teams met earlier in the season with the Bruins winning 86-81 in Brevard, North Carolina. The Bruins hoped for a similar result on Saturday as the two teams took the court.
In the opening minutes, the two teams traded baskets and the lead before a three point play by Brian Sims gave the Bruins a 9-5 advantage. The Tornados responded as the team went on a 10-2 run to take a 22-15 lead.
The Bruins kept pace in the first half as they continued to match the Tornados basket for basket but Brevard continued to cling to a slim lead. With just over three minutes to play in the half, Kenney Garrick hit a three for the Bruins to cut the lead to 38-34. The Tornados again came back with key baskets as they held a slim 47-44 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to regain the lead. The Tornados continued to keep the Bruins at bay as they had four players score in double figures in the game and went on a run to take a double-digit lead near the midway point of the half.
The Bruins refused to back down as they once again chipped away at the lead. With just minutes to play, Trevor Brunson scored back to back baskets as the Bruins cut the lead to 92-87. The team needed a stop, but a costly turnover late ended the hopes of a comeback as the Bruins fell 97-89.
Five Bruins scored in double figures for the team with Brian Sims leading the way with 23 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. The Bruins shot 51% from the floor including 54% from three point range but couldn't get those key baskets down the stretch to come away with the win.
"It's been a little bit of a weird semester," Coach Miller said. "We've had some cancelations which had us have longer breaks than usual as well as other things. We just need to put things together now and keep working on that internal scoreboard and keep getting better and better each day."
Next up, the Bruins will play in an exhibition game on Monday as the team travels to Boiling Springs, North Carolina for a matchup with Gardner-Webb University.
