The Brewton-Parker men’s basketball program opened SSAC play on Thursday night against William Carey (Miss.).

The Barons (1-8, 0-1 SSAC) battled throughout the game but came up short against the Crusaders (2-1, 1-0 SSAC).

Head Coach Stephen Birchfield shared his thought after the game. “I thought we played the best game of the season so far,” Birchfield said. “We are working on playing for one another and letting that be what takes us to the next level as a team.”

“Tonight, we simply had success and then stopped doing what was making us successful, which was our willingness to work for one another,” Birchfield mentioned. “William Carey is a good team, and the score shows how close we are to being successful as a team.”

“Loyola is a different animal coming Saturday, but if we play together and stick to fundamentals, anything is possible for us,” Birchfield added.

How It Happened

• Brewton-Parker opened the game on a 7-0 run before William Carey was able to respond. The Crusaders eventually equalized the game at 7-7 before both sides traded scores. For the remainder of the first half, both teams went back-and-forth trading control of the lead. The Barons managed to hold on to the lead to close out the first half with a 38-36 lead over the Crusaders.
• William Carey came out of the halftime break quickly, capturing the lead with an 11-0 run to lead 37-28 in the first four minutes of action. The Crusaders continued to control the score as they built 13-point lead halfway through the second half. With under five minutes to play, the Barons began chipping away at their deficit but were unable to produce enough points to even the game. The Crusaders held on for the 66-62 win.  

Inside The Statistics

• As a team, the Barons shot for 43.9% (25-of-57) from the field and 32.3% (5-of-16) from beyond the arc.
• Individually, TJ Taylor and Floyd Davis led the Barons’ offensive efforts with double digit performances. Taylor led with 19 points while Davis picked up 10. Taylor also led with four assists.
• Both Bryce Wilson and Vaquarious Brown notched eight points apiece.
• The Crusaders outrebounded the Barons 40-28 on the night with Taylor gathering six boards to lead the team.

Other Notables

• Both teams recorded 16 turnovers on the night with BPC leading 13-8 in steals.
• William Carey’s bench produced 35 points with Brewton-Parker’s scoring 19.

Next Up

• The Barons continue SSAC play on Saturday with No. 2 Loyola (La.) coming to Gills Gym for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off.

Courtesy of BPC Athletics.