Box Score
The Lady Bruins welcomed the Trinity Baptist College Eagles on Friday night to the Davis Field House. Though most of the students from BJU had gone home, there was a large crowd as the Bruins celebrated Alumni Appreciation Night. The two teams met at the beginning of the season with the Eagles swarming the Bruins 75-49. Much of the reason for the win was in the play of Eagles forward Nicole Collins. As the two teams took the court on Friday night, the Bruins sought to control Collins and contain her.
From the opening tip, the Bruins were able to get out and execute at both ends of the floor. Trisha Irving continued to show her prowess in leading the Bruin offense as the team got several open looks to start the game. On the defensive side, the Bruins were able to contain Nicole Collins for much of the first half. Collins took 18 shots throughout the first half but only had 10 points to show for it. In the middle of the 1st half, the Bruins began to severely lose in the rebounding battle as the Eagles notched several second chance points. Still the Bruins executed on the offensive end and took a 32-20 lead into halftime. Right before the break, Bruins' guard Kim Spiecker tripped and sprained her ankle which took her out of the game.
"We had our game plan and we had a great effort in the 1st half," Coach Mike LeViere said. "Collins is a really good player and I was pleased we were able to keep her in check."
As the second half began, the Eagles began to chip away at the Bruins lead as they continued to capitalize on second chance points. The Bruins played somewhat tentative in the second half as the team only was able to get to the free throw line 8 times on the night. "We needed to take the ball to the basket with authority and we weren't doing that," Coach LeViere said. "In an evenly played game fouls are huge and we didn't get them."
Eagles forward Nicole Collins battled throughout the night in the paint as she recorded 25 rebounds on the night. She also began to find more open looks and distribute the ball as she had 9 assists and 26 points in the game. Slowly, the Eagles took the lead from the Bruins and began to assert their dominance. Try as they might, the Bruins were not able to get back into the game despite several runs late in the second half. As the buzzer sounded, the Bruins had fallen to the Eagles 63-51 after being outscored 43-19 in the second half.
"These ladies have improved a ton and it is exciting to watch," Coach LeViere said. "Now we have to gear up and get ready for a tough team tomorrow."
Trisha Irving led all scorers for the Bruins will 13 points. Kourtney Hoefler added another double-double to her season total with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kendra Jeffcott also scored 10 points. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 3-9 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will host Montreat College at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
