Apprentice School knocks off Rhema Bible College 76-61 in quarterfinals

BROKEN ARROW, OKLA. - The Apprentice School used a 21-4 run in the first eight minutes of the contest and defeated the tournament host Rhema Bible College 76-61 in the USCAA Men's Division I quarterfinals on Thursday night.

That win for the Builders (16-13) puts them into a Friday semifinal at 5 pm EST against sixth-seeded Oakwood University Ambassadors who defeated third-seeded Robert Morris-Springfield 67-59.  Rhema Bible won the last two USCAA National Championships.

The Eagles scored the first bucket on a three-pointer from Tyron Hall at the 18:47 mark, but the Builders started their 21-4 run on a jumper from Antione Paige and finished in a jumper from Eric Ruffin for a 21-7 advantage at the 10:58 mark.

Rhema made a run cutting the deficit to 24-16 with 3:36 left on a Gabe White 3-pointer, but Apprentice School scored the next five points and kept the margin in the mid teens throughout the half.

In the second half, the lead grew to as much as 23 points on a Ruffin 3-pointer with 6:30 left to hold a 67-44 advantage.  The Builders lead never dropped below 13 points the rest of the game.