Trevor Brunson turned in a dominant performance for the Bruins on Tuesday night as the sophomore finished with 36 points to help lead the team to a 110-91 victory over Warren Wilson College in the Davis Field House. The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Bruins as the team improved to 9-11 on the season.
"This team hasn't given up despite the challenges we've faced this season," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We aren't there, but I am proud of our guys for the way they have continued to grow and learn this season. We have played some tough games and to come back and play the way we did tonight was great to see."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough region loss over the weekend as the team fell at rival Pensacola Christian College 82-80. The Bruins have battled through a tough portion of their schedule but continued to find themselves on the losing end of hard-fought games.
On Tuesday, the Bruins looked to bounce back as the team welcomed Warren Wilson College. The two teams last met on January 17 as the Owls defeated the Bruins 84-69 in Asheville, North Carolina. The Owls came into Tuesday's game having dropped two of their last three games. Both teams were in search of a win as they took the court.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Owls exchanged baskets and the lead as each tried to establish momentum early on. Henry Blair and Trevor Brunson hit back to back shots for the Bruins to lead 15-11 but the Owls came right back with a run eventually leading BJU 26-19.
The Owls continued to keep the Bruins at bay as Jeremiah Daye hit a three with just over seven minutes to go in the half to push the WWC lead 32-26. Undaunted, the Bruins continued to battle down the stretch as the team roared back to close the first half strong and take a 46-44 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to extend their lead and they did so thanks to the hot shooting of Trevor Brunson and Henry Blair. Brunson knocked down back to back threes for the Bruins early on as the team was off and running pushing their lead to 68-58.
The Owls tried to rally, but the Bruins continued to work the ball around for open looks offensively and the shots kept falling as the team increased their lead. With just over seven minutes to play, Brunson threw down an emphatic dunk for the Bruins to increase the lead to 90-75. The Bruins kept on rolling as the team pushed their lead to as many as 20 throughout the remaining minutes.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had turned in a strong performance in the game as the team notched a 110-91 win over Warren Wilson College.
"What we did tonight was make really good decisions on offense," Coach Uwarow said. "We limited our turnovers and took care of the basketball. This is a team that beat us bad in Asheville a few weeks ago and we were happy to be able to battle back and get the win tonight."
Trevor Brunson led the Bruins with 36 points shooting 12-16 from the field and 5-7 from three point range. Henry Blair also had a strong performance with 31 points while Stephan Hugley had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
The Bruins shot 85% from three point range in the second half and finished the game shooting 62% from the floor and 90% from the free throw line. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road this weekend as the team faces Trinity Baptist College on Saturday in a South region matchup.
Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida.
