The Bruins saw their three-game winning streak come to an end on Monday night as the team fell to Toccoa Falls College in overtime 67-59. Despite holding the lead throughout the game, a late rally helped the Screaming Eagles battle back and they carried the momentum to hand the Bruins their second region loss of the season. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 10-11 on the season and 6-2 in region play.
"We haven't guarded the three well in crunch time and they hurt us in key moments in this game," Bruins Head Men's Basketball Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We have to give credit to Toccoa. We had a target on our backs and they got us tonight."
The Bruins came into the game after notching three-straight South region wins last week, including a 96-83 win over Toccoa Falls in Greenville. With just two games remaining on the schedule, the Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways as they took the court.
From the opening tip, the Bruins stormed out of the gate as threes from Henry Blair and Eli Cupples helped the team jump out to a 12-0 lead. The Bruins maintained their double-digit advantage through the first part of the half, but Toccoa Falls began to chip away at the lead.
With just under four minutes to play, Luke Hartenburg hit a jumper for the Screaming Eagles as they cut the lead to 21-15. The Bruins were able to take momentum into halftime as Daniel Fuller hit a three just before time expired to give the team a 28-21 lead at the break.
As the second half began, the Bruins looked to stretch their lead but Toccoa had other plans as they battled back to eventually tie the game at 34-34. Still, the Bruins came right back as Eli Cupples hit another three to give the Bruins the upper hand.
With just over six minutes remaining in the game, Stephan Hugley scored to push the lead to 53-42. Again the Screaming Eagles battled back as Luke Gilsdorf sunk back to back three pointers which fueled a 13-2 run and gave Toccoa a 57-55 lead with just three seconds to go. The Bruins weren't done yet as Stephan Hugley tipped in a missed shot just as time expired to force overtime with the score tied 57-57.
In overtime, the Bruins looked to finish off the Screaming Eagles and escape with the win. Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't slow Toccoa in overtime as they fell short in a 67-59 loss.
Henry Blair led the Bruins with 19 points while Eli Cupples finished with 16 in the game. The Bruins struggled offensively as the team shot just 35% from the floor and 25% from three-point range.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up the regular season on Saturday as the team welcomes Trinity Baptist College to the Davis Field House. Tip-off for the game is set for 2 p.m.
