The Bruins basketball team fell short on the road on Saturday night as the team dropped a region matchup to Trinity Baptist College 63-52 in Jacksonville, Florida. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 9-12 on the season and 3-6 in region play. The loss marks the fourth-straight region loss for the Bruins as well.
"Trinity was able to keep us from running what we wanted to offensively by playing physical and aggressive," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We shot the ball poorly from three, from the field and from the free throw lines. Offensively, it was a real disappointment."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of snapping their four-game losing streak on Tuesday night with a strong offensive performance as the team defeated Warren Wilson College 110-91. The Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways as they hit the road for their final away matchup of the regular season.
The Bruins faced Trinity Baptist for the second time this season as the Eagles came into the game at 13-9 overall. On January 27, the Bruins upset #5 ranked Trinity Baptist 81-76 in Greenville. With just a few games remaining in the regular season, both teams looked to pick up the win as the game was set to begin.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Eagles traded baskets before back to back buckets by Henry Blair and Tostadas Pouncey gave the Bruins a 9-5 advantage. The Bruins continued to maintain the upper hand throughout the first half as the team forced the Eagles into tough shots while limiting second chance opportunities.
With just over six minutes remaining in the half, the Bruins took a 22-15 lead thanks to back to back baskets from Hayes Brush and Henry Blair. The Bruins hoped to build on their lead before the halftime break but it would be the Eagles that rode the energy of the hometown crowd to cut into the defict as the Bruins led just 26-24 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to build their lead. Points in the paint from Stephan Hugley and Trevor Brunson continued to keep the Bruins on top but the Eagles battled back as a three from Ian Kanady and a layup from Xavier Rose helped Trinity lead 34-32.
Momentum had swung in the Eagles' favor and it showed as the Bruins tried to battle back and regain the lead. This half, it would be the Eagles making key baskets to keep the upper hand.
With just over eight minutes to play, a 13-1 run by the Eagles extended their lead 54-42. The Bruins tried to mount one last rally, but the hometown Eagles wouldn't be denied as Trinity Baptist went on to win 63-52.
"We were better in many aspects of our defense but in the end we gave up too many second chances," Coach Uwarow said.
The Bruins had just one player score in double figures as Henry Blair led the team with 19 points in the game. Stephan Hugley had a near double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. The Bruins had struggles offensively as the team shot just 39% from the field and 20% from three.
Next up, the Bruins will return home on Monday as the team welcomes University of Maine - Fort Kent to the Davis Field House. Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.
