Box Score
The basketball season officially tipped off as the Bruin women took the court for their first game in BJU history. The team is competing in the “Tip-Off” tournament hosted by Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. The Bruins had put in weeks of practice, and now it was time to face their first real competition of the year as they took the court against the Trinity Baptist College Eagles.
From the opening tip the Bruins quickly realized the speed and physicality that would be required in playing at the intercollegiate level. The Eagles dominated the paint and used their physical style to jump out to a lead. The Bruins countered as Kourtney Hoefler and Kendra Jeffcott rallied the Bruins to a 12-8 lead in the beginning stages of the game. The Eagles then went on a 31-0 run as the Bruins began to show their inexperience as the team allowed the Eagles to score almost at will. As the buzzer sounded for the half, the Bruins had fallen behind 44-19. The Bruins struggled throughout the half as the team committed 19 turnovers.
“I think it was a little overwhelming for the girls,” Coach LeViere said. “It was their first game and we were just very tentative.”
The Bruins came out in the second half and began to turn things around as the team executed good backdoor cuts to begin to chip away at the deficit. Despite their good offensive play, the Eagles matched the Bruins point-for-point and continued to extend their lead. Throughout the remainder of the game, the Bruins made some improvements but still struggled in turning the ball over. The final buzzer ended the game with the Bruins on the losing end of a 79-45 game.
“There is definitely room for improvement,” Coach LeViere said. “Our defense wasn’t horrible, but we just need to work on some things to continue to build where we want to be.”
Kourtney Hoefler led the way for the Bruins with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kendra Jeffcott added 16 points and nine rebounds. Overall, the team was able to experience firsthand what it is going to take to compete on the intercollegiate stage. The Bruin women will rest up tonight before taking on St. Thomas University in the second round of the Tip-off Tournament tomorrow afternoon.
