BECKLEY, WV -- The Carolina University Men's Basketball Team traveled to play the West Virginia University Institute of Technology on Saturday, November 21st. The Bruins entered the game at 3-3 and the Golden Bears were 2-2. Each team looked for the opportunity to get above .500 against a strong opponent. The Golden Bears boasted one of the premier 3-point shooters in the nation and had narrowly lost to the #1 team in NAIA this month. CU was looking forward to that challenge before entering the Holiday Break. The Bruins started strong and built a 9 point lead mid-way through the first half. The Golden Bears would not go away though and had taken a 5 point lead by halftime. Carolina University battled in the second half and cut the lead to just 1 with the ball at the 15 minute mark. However, WVUT responded again with a run of their own to keep the lead. Despite great efforts by the Bruins, the Golden Bears were able to make just enough shots down the stretch to secure the 77-66 victory.

Micah Cooper again led all-scorers with 26 points, including a tremendous 5-6 from behind the arc. Cooper also had a team-high 7 rebounds. Kester Ofoegbu scored an efficient 16 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for the Bruins. After the game Coach Williams was very proud of his team. "I thought we prepared well and gave ourselves a chance against a very good opponent. They had to work for their baskets and we took away their primary options most of the night. Obviously, we would have liked to win, but WVUT is a really good team - maybe the best we have played this year - and we have to give them some credit."

The Bruins will now enter the break at 3-4, but they have had a very difficult schedule to this point. Their losses have come to teams that have a combined record of 14-3, including 2 undefeated teams. The Coaching Staff believes this challenging start will benefit the team in the long run and is looking forward to more home games in the second semester. Currently, the Bruins are set to return to the court on January 8th when they host Toccoa Falls College.