The Bruins saw their eight-game winning streak against their rival come to an end on Saturday night as the team fell to Pensacola Christian College 64-56. The loss also ended the Bruins three-game winning streak as the team fell to 8-8 on the season and 3-3 in region play.
"We struggled shooting tonight and it cost us," Bruins interim head coach Tony Miller said. "This was a tough game for us in a number of ways but now it is time for us to move on and learn from this as we look ahead to next week."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of upsetting #5 nationally ranked Trinity Baptist College on Friday night in a hard-fought win. The Bruins welcomed rival Pensacola Christian who came into the game at 6-13 on the season but were on the heels of back to back wins entering Saturday's game. The Bruin faithful were out in full voice as the next chapter of this rivalry was set to be written.
From the opening tip, the Eagles came out strong as the team quickly jumped out to a 9-1 lead. The Bruins were finding open looks, but the team struggled to convert their opportunities. It took nearly six minutes for the Bruins to record their first field goal of the game as Stephan Hugley was fouled in the paint and converted the three-point play to make it 9-4.
Later on in the half, the Bruins went on a 12-0 run to take the lead at 16-13 thanks to threes from Kenney Garrick and points from Brian Sims. Both teams went back and forth trading baskets and the lead but the Bruins found themselves trailing 29-27 at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to shake off their first half struggles and take the lead. Stephan Hugley scored in the paint to tie the score at 29-29 but the Eagles again came right back with back to back baskets to regain the lead.
Each time the Bruins would battle back and even the score, the Eagles would find short bursts to maintain the upper hand as the clock continued to tick away. With just over six minutes to play, Austin Lewis knocked down a key jumper for the Eagles to extend their lead to 56-48.
The Bruins tried to battle back, but open looks continued to miss allowing the Eagles to extend their lead. Although the Bruins went on a short run near the end of the game, the Eagles wouldn't be denied the upset as they defeated the Bruins 64-56, their first win against BJU since the 2016-17 season and first in the Davis Field House since 2015.
Stephan Hugley led the Bruins with a double-double 17 points and 13 rebounds while Kenney Garrick scored 11 points off the bench for the team. The Bruins shot just 34% from the field including shooting just 26% from three-point range.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Tuesday as the team travels to Demorest, Georgia, for a matchup with Piedmont University. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
