The BJU Bruins lost their final home game of the season 84-68 to the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors on senior night at BJU.
The Bruins came into the night on a two-game winning streak, hoping to end the season with one more win. In the first half, the Bruins struggled defensively against the Warriors and their 3-point attack. After Kyle Turner made a quick shot, BJU trailed only 6-4.
But SWU soon lit up the scoreboard from the arc. Helped by senior guard Cameron Solomon, who finished with 29 points, the Warriors went on a 12-4 run to make the score 23-8 at the first media timeout.
The Warriors continued to shoot well consistently for the remainder of the half, shooting 10-16 from the 3-point line in the first half. With SWU’s strong offensive performance in the first half, they took a 49-26 lead into the locker room.
At the half, the Bruins honored senior Camden Jones, who has been a part of the program for three years, including the inaugural team. Despite being sidelined for a year with an injury, Jones has been a big part of building the team. Coach Neal Ring spoke very highly of Jones and his time in the program.
“He just never gave up,” Ring said. “I’m going to miss his attitude. I’m going to miss his effort and just that perseverance. He’s going to do great things in this world because he’s not going to let anything stop him, and I’m just privileged to [have been] a part of his life the last three years.”
Coming out for the second half, the Bruins improved offensively and defensively held the Warriors to just two 3-pointers in the entire second half. Unfortunately, SWU was able to penetrate the Bruins’ defense inside the paint and match the Bruins shot-for-shot nearly the entire second half.
Though the Bruins were able to cut the lead to 14 late in the second half, they could not get the run they needed and fell 84-68.
Though BJU won the rebound margin 30-29, the Warriors’ shooting was untouchable, hitting over 50 percent of their shots both inside and outside the arc. The Bruins shot only 37 percent comparatively and hit only three of their 20 attempted 3-point shots. Junior forward Kyle Turner led the Bruins with 21 points, while sophomore forward Corey Turner and freshman guard Marshall Riddle contributed 16 points each.
The Bruins finished the season with a record of 9-19 and will now prepare for the South Regional Tournament next weekend at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia.
