The Bruins wrapped up the regular season on a high note on Saturday evening as the team downed Johnson University (FL) 85-73 in the Davis Field House. Four players scored in double figures with Trevor Brunson leading the way with 31 points as the Bruins improved to 11-12 on the season and 4-6 in South region play.
"It was a little bit of a different week with Bible Conference on campus, but I think our team came out and responded well," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We had four players score in double figures, and whenever we do that we almost always win the game. I was really proud of how we played and were able to finish the game and get the win on Senior Day."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a dominant performance on Monday evening as the team defeated the University of Maine at Fort Kent 102-58. The Bruins looked for a similar result as they welcomed the Suns of JUFL who came into the game at 3-16 after upsetting Trinity Baptist College 68-62 on Thursday night.
Before the opening tip, the Bruins took time to honor the five seniors on the roster this season. Team manager John Baron was honored as well as players Andrew Ahrens, Stephan Hugley, Hayes Brush, and Henry Blair. After the ceremony, it was time for basketball as the Bruins looked to send their seniors off well in their final home game at the Davis Field House.
Henry Blair hit an opening three for the Bruins as the team jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Suns came right back with a 7-0 run which sparked their offense as the team eventually built a 15-9 lead. The Bruins came right back as Stephan Hugley recorded back to back baskets inside to help the team battle back and tie the game 15-15.
From there, the Bruins and Suns traded baskets and the lead as the first half began to come to a close. Colin Jacobs provided a spark off the bench for the Bruins with five-straight points which helped the team close out the first half strong as the stormed ahead to a 41-31 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to extend their lead. Henry Blair and Trevor Brunson scored on back to back layups as the Bruins picked up where they left off and pushed their lead to 52-38. It looked as though the Bruins would blow the game open but the Suns had other plans as they rallied to eventually regain the lead 59-56 near the midway point of the second half.
The Bruins remained poised and continued to ride the hot shooting touch of Trevor Brunson as the sophmore rallied the team back into the game hitting his third three pointer of the contest to make it 70-65.
From there, the Suns again tried to battle back but strong defensive play by the Bruins forced Johnson (FL) into tough looks. Brian Sims hit a clutch three with just over three minutes to play and the Bruins were able to make additional key shots down the stretch as the team held on to win 85-73.
Trevor Brunson had another stellar game for the Bruins with 31 points while shooting 11-15 from the field and 3-5 from three point range. Henry Blair had 19 points in the game while Stephan Hugley finished with a double-double 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brian Sims also chipped 11 points off the bench to go along with 4 rebounds in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will await to hear the final seeding for the upcoming NCCAA DII South Region tournament next week in Kissimmee, Florida.
