The Bruins opened the second half of the season on Wednesday as the team fell to Webber International University 85-72 in Babson Park, Florida. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 3-5 on the season.
"We deliberately schedule this first game back to be an immediate test for us," Bruins interim head coach Tony Miller said. "Even though we turned the ball over too much and didn't shoot well from three, there were a lot of things that we are getting better at. That improvement is going to help us as we continue this season."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of three straight losses to close out the first semester of play. The team was on the road to begin the second half of the season and knew they would be in for a tough test as they faced Webber who came into the game at 7-5 on the season having won three of their last four.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Warriors went back and forth exchanging baskets and the lead. Brian Sims and Hayes Brush helped the Bruins maintain the early upper hand as Brush made a basket in the paint to give the team a 13-10 advantage.
The Warriors battled back as they pushed the tempo to regain the lead as a layup from Gavin Buchanon helped Webber lead 23-20 near the midway point of the half. The Warriors then caught fire from beyond the arc as threes from Tyon Martin and Gabriel Divic helped the team extend their lead to as many as 20 throughout the remaining minutes.
The Bruins struggled to keep pace their shooting went cold. The team was able to cut the deficit as Andrew Ahrens scored right before the half to help the team trail 46-30 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins began to chipe away at the lead as Henry Blair scored points in the paint to help the team cut the lead to single digits near the midway point of the second half.
The Warriors responded with key shots as they continued to maintain their lead over the Bruins. With just over seven minutes remaining in the game, Blair hit a three for the Bruins and then followed it up with a layup in the paint as the Bruins moved into striking distance trailing 70-62.
Again, the Warriors were able to make key shots to stop the Bruins momentum and maintain their lead. As a result, the Bruins comeback hopes came up short as they fell to Webber International 85-72.
Henry Blair led the Bruins with 24 points on the night while Brian Sims finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Stephan Hugley turned in a double-double for the Bruins with 10 points and 11 rebounds but the Bruins shot just 21% from three-point range as the team suffered their fourth-straight loss.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again on Saturday as the team faces South Region opponent Johnson University (FL) in Kissimmee, Florida.
