The Bruins men’s basketball team fell to the Citadel Bulldogs 81-50 on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Hoping to end their three-game losing streak, the Bruins put it all on the line. But in spite of BJU President Steve Pettit’s declaration of allegiance to the Bruins, his alma mater, the Citadel, handed the Bruins a hefty loss.

The Bruins played the role of the underdog against their NCAA D1 opponent,   a much larger and more well-known team.

Using their long-distance shooting, the Bruins jumped ahead to an early 8-2 lead. But the Bulldogs, territorial as always, wrenched the advantage back with an 11-0 run. Both teams spent the next few minutes battling back and forth and trading baskets.

Another 8-2 stretch favored the Bruins and pushed them ahead by one point. And yet again the Bulldogs utilized their size advantage and moved the ball down low.

Several points from the paint later, the Bulldogs left the floor at halftime with a comfortable safety net of 41-34.

The Bulldogs continued to score points down low in the second half. With no other option but to adapt, the Bruins tried to compete with their opponents’ physical play. But fouls began to take a toll and resulted in sending the Bulldogs to the free throw line.

Freshman Marshall Riddle attempted to score some points by attacking the basket, but his efforts weren’t enough to stop the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs’ relentless juggernaut of size and physical play continued to bring them points and free throws. The Bruins fought tenaciously, but the final score sat at 81-50.

Despite the loss, junior Noah Smith said, “We bonded together really well. We played like we could win the game for 30 minutes, but in the last 10 minutes, we ended the game, I think, giving up a 24-2 run combined from two different runs.”

Junior Kyle Turner led the Bruins with 16 points, and Marshall Riddle came in with 15 of his own.