Box Score
The Bruins women's basketball team welcomed the Columbia College Fighting Koalas to Greenville on Thursday afternoon. The two teams met earlier this season in Columbia with the Koalas winning 75-62. The Bruins came into the game having won four of their last five games. The team had been on a hot streak, but suffered their first home loss on Friday night against Emmanuel College. The Koalas entered Thursday's game with a 5-9 record and have struggled recently losing 4 of their last 5 games. 

From the opening tip, the Bruins and Koalas went back and forth as both teams struggled in the opening minutes of play. The Bruins were getting open looks, but the shots wouldn't fall as six minutes into the game the score was 7-6 Koalas. Columbia College set up the press and forced the Bruins into three straight turnovers to go on a 7-0 run to increase their lead.

After a timeout, the Bruins regrouped and began to fight their way back into the game. Kendra Jeffcott and Trisha Irving helped to slice through the Koalas press and open up the floor for good transition buckets. The Bruins eventually took the lead and went into halftime up 37-28.

"The biggest thing for us was turnovers," Coach LeViere said. "We knew they were going to bring defensive pressure and by us continuing to turn the ball over, we played right into their game. We were able to straighten it up and get good looks."    

In the second half, the Bruins came out strong and continued to work the ball into their sets on offense. Brianna Delaney provided a big boost off the bench for the Bruins as she provided quality minutes in the post to open the Bruins offense. The in-and-out passing helped to give the Bruins open chances at 9 three pointers throughout the game. 

As the half continued, the Bruins lead reached 15 points as the team was controlling the flow of the game. The Koalas came clawing back and eventually cut the lead to 5 with just over a minute to play. The Bruins stood strong and had several key buckets down the stretch to hang on for a 68-61 victory. 

"We're thankful to get the victory," Coach LeViere said. "When you turn the ball over as much as we did you don't usually win games so we were happy to come away and get this win. We are excited with how we are playing so far this season and we have had a good first half. We have things to work on but we know what we need to do to get better." 

Kendra Jeffcott led the way for the Bruins with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Trisha Irving scored 14 and Chalice Pack had 10. Kourtney Hoefler provided a boost on the rebounds with 12 while also scoring 6 points. The Bruins committed 34 turnovers on the night, but the team was able to find a way to get the win. The team finishes the first half of the season at 11-4 as they head into Christmas break. "The players are each starting to learn their role," Coach LeViere said. "We are becoming stronger as a team and we look to continue to improve over the course of the season." 

The team will have several weeks off before their next game against Emmanuel College on January 6th.