The Bruins basketball team was on the road on Friday night as the team fell to Brevard College 86-72 in Brevard, North Carolina. At halftime, the score was close but an 18-0 run by the Tornados in the second half proved too much to overcome as the Bruins fall to 7-10 on the season.
"After being off for so long, it is important for us to fine tune things and get game conditioned for the regional tournament," Bruins Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Tony Miller said. Miller filled in as head coach for the team with Coach Uwarow out with sickness. "A lot of it wasn't pretty tonight but we were able to do some good things. The goal for us is to be peaking at the regional tournament and we'll keep working towards that goal."
The Bruins had to pause their season for nearly three weeks due to COVID as the team last played on January 15. The team was able to be back practicing this week before facing the Tornados on Friday night.
The two teams had met earlier this season with the Bruins edging the Tornados 90-82 in Greenville. The Bruins were hoping to shake off the rust and get back to their winning ways as they took the court at Boshamer Gymnasium.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Tornados went back and forth trading baskets and the lead. Hayes Brush knocked down back to back threes for the Bruins while Henry Blair provided points in the paint as the score remained close.
Near the midway point of the half, Eli Cupples hit a three to help the Bruins lead 21-19. The Bruins led by as many as five in the first half, but the Tornados refused to back down as they battled back to tie the game at 28-28. Down the stretch, the Tornados were able to get a three from David Sealy which helped the team lead 40-33 at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to battle back and take the lead. Instead, the Tornados went on an 18-0 run at the beginning of the half as they pushed the tempo for layups in transition. As a result, the Bruins found themselves trailing 65-40 near the midway point of the half.
Still, the Bruins refused to back down and began to chip away at the lead. Eli Cupples continued to knock down open shots as the junior hit five threes for the Bruins on the night. The Bruins were able to cut into the lead, but in the end the deficit was too much to overcome as the team fell 86-72.
Eli Cupples led the Bruins on the night with 26 points while Hayes Brush had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Stephan Hugley had a near double-double with 13 points and 8 rebounds while Henry Blair finished with 12 points in the loss.
Next up, the Bruins return home on Tuesday night as the team welcomes South region rival Toccoa Falls College to the Davis Field House. Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.
