It was a battle from first tip to the final buzzer, and the Bruins came out victorious over the #2 seed Great Lakes Christian College Crusaders by a final score of 86-81.

"That was an absolute battle," Head Coach Tony Miller said. "I am so proud of the toughness the guys showed."

For the first few minutes of the game, the Bruins and Crusaders traded baskets, and the game remained very close. Justin Skelton began the game for the Bruins with two three-pointers to score the first six points of the night. With just under ten minutes to go in the half, the Bruins found themselves up three, but that is when the Crusaders forced turnovers and grabbed offensive rebounds, which aided them to go on a 16-4 run. Now down nine, the Bruins backs were against the wall, and they had to finish the half strong. Drew Cannon and Brandon Wilkins both hit timely threes to bring the Bruins back a little. To finish the half, Skelton blocked a shot, which ignited a fastbreak where Brandon Wilkins hit a layup at the buzzer to bring the Bruins back within three. The halftime deficit was only 45-42.

The second half brought out the most intensity the Bruins have seen all season. Neither team led by more than six points the rest of the game, and it was an extremely fast-paced game. Trevor Pittman led the charge for the Bruins after struggling in the first half. His 14 second-half points proved to be huge down the stretch. It took the Bruins eight minutes to regain the lead and they only lost the lead once throughout the rest of the game. Timely stops and timely baskets kept them in front despite the constant push from the Crusaders. With under three minutes to go, the Bruins were up three, and the Crusaders had the ball. The Bruins forced a turnover, and Trevor Pittman went coast-to-coast to lay it in to give the Bruins a two possession lead. On the two final defensive possessions, Shad Vander Hart went soaring through the air to grab the two most important rebounds of the game. He put the game on ice with a free throw, and the Bruins won the battle 86-81.

Shad Vander Hart lived up to his All-American status again, leading the Bruins with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Trevor Pittman scored 20 points, most of which were in the second half. Brandon Wilkins and Drew Cannon followed with 12 points of their own, but some could argue their defense was a bigger impact on tonight's game. Justin Skelton scored 10 and Braxton Murray scored eight.

The Bruins now look forward to the semifinal of the NCCAA DII Men's Basketball Championship, where they will play the #6 seed Crown College at 9:00 p.m. EDT.