MCKENZIE, Tenn. – Blue Mountain Christian Men kicked off this weekend's Chick-Fil-A Classic hosted by Bethel University by knocking off Crowley's Ridge Friday night 70-60.
Blue Mountain's Keevin Etienne led his team with a double-double, dropping 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.  The Floridian also had four blocked shots.
Jalen Boyd-Savage led all scorers with 18 points for Blue Mountain, while Ty Pickron chipped in 11 and Manny Patrick had 10.
With the score changing leads throughout the game, the Toppers would pull away at the sub five-minute mark as Boyd-Savage hit a jumper and Patrick would get a steal and a layup to give BMCU a 61-58 lead.
Etienne would drain two free-throws at 2:11 and Vincent Douglas got a bucket right under the basket, followed by four straight free-throws from Boyd-Savage and Pickron.
"We did just enough to get the job done tonight," BMCU head coach Jermael Bingham said.  "We did a good job on the boards and forced several turnovers with buckets.  That was probably the difference in the game."
The Topper defense forced 20 turnovers from the Owls with Patrick getting four steals and Boyd-Savage getting three.
The Toppers would shoot 33 percent on the night and score 17 second-chance points while going 11-for-36 from three-point range.
BMCU (2-2) returns to McKenzie Saturday as they take on Mississippi foe Southeastern Baptist with tip set for 2 p.m. CT in Crisp Arena.
 
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