TIGERVILLE, S.C. — The Carolina University Bruins men's basketball team showed early grit on Tuesday night, but a decisive first-half surge by Division II North Greenville proved too much to overcome as the Crusaders claimed a 69–58 win at Hayes Gymnasium.

The opening 10 minutes were tightly contested, with both teams trading baskets and defensive stops. Carolina kept pace through the midpoint of the half before North Greenville closed the period on a 26–11 run, turning a close game into a 41–25 Crusaders advantage at the break.

Carolina responded with renewed energy after halftime, trimming the deficit with improved efficiency on the offensive end. The Bruins outscored North Greenville 33–28 in the second half, highlighted by strong interior play and a more aggressive defensive approach, but the early hole proved too deep to fully erase.

DJ Evans and Tristan Kuska led the Bruins with 16 points apiece, with Kuska adding timely baskets inside as Carolina tried to mount its comeback. Deuce Ford chipped in eight points, while Conrad Linhart added seven and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Carolina shot 40 percent from the field for the game and held North Greenville to just 38.7 percent shooting in the second half.

Head Coach Jake Heck credited his team's resilience despite the challenging first-half stretch.

"I loved the way our guys competed early and how they responded after halftime," Heck said. "We let that stretch at the end of the first half get away from us, but the fight we showed in the second half is something we can build on as we move forward."

Carolina will look to carry that second-half momentum into its next outing as the Bruins continue their road-tested stretch of the schedule as they travel to Bluefield University in Bluefield, Virginia on Monday January 19.