Box Score The Lady Bruins were able to send off senior Bre Bullard with a victory as the team defeated Johnson University 48-44 on Saturday afternoon in Tennessee. "It was awfully hard to say goodbye to Bre Bullard but glad we could send her out with a win," Coach Mike LeViere said. "She has been captain of the team since the start of the program. We will miss her greatly."
The two teams met a few weeks ago in Greenville, with the Bruins capturing a 70-53 win at home. Since that time, the Lady Bruins have been on a three-game losing streak as they entered their last game of the 1st semester of play.
In the opening minutes, the two teams went back and forth as each defense flexed their muscle making it difficult to score. The Bruins were able to rally from the play of Kourtney Hoefler, who was a strong presence in the post for the team. The Bruins shooting struggles continued but the team continued to battle. At the half, the Royals had a slim 20-19 lead over BJU.
"We were able to overcome some of our shooting struggles by playing good defense and rebounding well," Coach LeViere said. "We knew we were still in a good position going into the second half."
In the second half, the Bruins climbed back into the game behind the shooting of Maggi Ford and Sha'Ron Brunson. Back and forth the two teams went trading baskets and the lead as this game went all the way down to the wire. After a big shot by Sha'Ron Brunson, the Bruins took the lead and were able to hang on for a 48-44 victory on the road.
"I am very happy with the team effort and attitude throughout the last several games," Coach Mike LeViere said. "We haven't played out best but the ladies are sticking together and becoming a single unit. I'm excited for the future."
With the win, the Bruins climb to 4-10 on the season. Kourtney Hoefler had 16 rebounds to go along with 10 points. Maggi Ford led the scoring for the Bruins with 15 points and Sha'Ron Brunson notched 10 on the day. The team dominated the rebounding battle 51-33 but shot just 30% from the field for the game.
The Lady Bruins will have a few weeks off for Christmas break before resuming play next semester. The team will take the court again on January 8, as they play a three-game road trip in Kissimmee, Florida. The first opponent of that road trip will be the Valley Forge Christian College Patriots.
