Though the offense had some cold stints, the Bruins fought their way to a 64-58 against NCCAA South Region opponent Toccoa Falls College.Â
"I think the difference tonight offensively was our bench," Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "Everyone made a significant contribution. Brandon Wilkins had an excellent shooting night and everyone else really contributed on the defensive end."
Both team's offenses struggled to knock down shots in the first half much thanks to the solid defense played on both sides. The Bruins forced eight turnovers and the Screaming Eagles forced 5 and did so without getting in any foul trouble. Brandon Wilkins was a huge piece to this Bruins win leading the Bruins in the first half with 10 points off the bench with a couple three-pointers. The Bruins held an 11 point lead at one point in the half and then went cold allowing the Screaming Eagles to go into halftime with a 28-26 lead.
The Bruins offense was more alive in the second half, and they were able to pull ahead and stay ahead for the majority of the half. After being held scoreless in the first half, Devin Pope scored 17 points in the second half which led all scorers in the game. Pope remained a key part to this team's offensive play. The Bruins took the lead with 10 and a half minutes to go in the game and never looked back.
Brandon Wilkins finished the night with 13 points and Trevor Brunson added 11 of his own including the dagger three-pointer with 50 seconds left. Tonight was another double-digit rebounding night for Shad Vander Hart as he ripped down 10 boards. Tonight also marked the first collegiate start for freshman Braxton Murray. "I thought that Braxton Murray did an excellent job defensively tonight," Coach Uwarow said. "In fact our defense as a whole has been consistently excellent. We have had incredible energy and focus on the defensive end," Coach Uwarow said.
The Bruins look to continue that excellent defense when they are back in the Davis Field House to take on Southeastern Baptist College on Friday, January 24 at 8:00 p.m.
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