Box Score
The Bruins women's basketball team was playing in their third road game of the week as they took the court on Saturday afternoon against the Clearwater Christian Cougars. The Bruins were coming off a great offensive output on Thursday night as they defeated Florida College 93-71. The Cougars started off the season 0-6 before picking up their first win over Grace Bible College on Thursday night. The Bruins were looking to end their road trip with another win as they took the court in Clearwater, Florida.
From the opening tip, Kendra Jeffcott provided the scoring boost for the Bruins as she scored 8 of the first 9 points for the Bruins. The Cougars were able to take advantage of their hometown crowd energy to keep the game close. A layup basket gave the Bruins an 18-12 lead in the first part of the half.
The Bruins were not able to gain a large lead as the Cougars kept the game close by forcing tough shots and taking advantage of their opportunities on offense. As the half ended, the Bruins had a slim 29-25 lead.
"Kendra really played a great first half for us," Coach LeViere said. "We knew they were going to be gunning for us as they had come off their first win of the season. We knew we needed to come out strong."
In the second half, the Bruins made great adjustments and came out strong in the opening minutes to increase their lead. Trisha Irving and Chalice Pack captained the Bruins offense to be able to gain open looks and drive the lane for baskets. The Bruins also played a stifling defense in the second half and cleaned the glass for rebounds. Kourtney Hoefler and Brianna Delaney combined for 26 rebounds for BJU as the team didn't allow many second chance opportunities.
As the second half was drawing to a close, the Bruins lead was stretched behind Kendra Jeffcott's dominating offensive performance. With the final buzzer, the Bruins were able to come away with a 76-59 win.
"We really maintained focus in a tense game and finished well," Coach LeViere said. "Clearwater is a much improved team and they really are going to be a force in DII."
Kendra Jeffcott led the Bruins with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Brianna Delaney had 15 rebounds to go along with 9 points and Kourtney Hoefler added 6 points and 11 rebounds. Kim Spiecker scored 12 points and snagged 8 rebounds. The Bruins outrebounded the Cougars 57-30. With the win, the Bruins improve to 13-5 on the season.
The team went 2-1 in their three-game road trip and will travel home as they welcome the Pensacola Christian College Eagles on Friday night.
