Despite a late second half rally, the Lady Bruins came up short as the team fell to Point University 55-50 in the opening game of the 2016-17 season.

"Point is a great basketball program," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We have had several close games with them and we both know each other very well. Tonight we played well defensively and struggled some on offense. With our seniors graduating last year, our players this year are stepping into new roles and you can't find out what those roles are until you are in a game situation. We did some good things tonight but definitely areas to improve as well."

The two teams met last year in the NCCAA DI South Region playoff with Point University using a late rally to win the game in overtime 75-65. The Bruins were hoping for a little payback as the two teams took the floor in the Davis Field House. 

In the opening quarter, the Bruins got off to a rough start as the team couldn't seem to find any way to score and trailed 13-3 at the end of the first quarter. They picked up the intensity in the second quarter of play and the shots began to fall as seniors Sha'Ron Brunson and Hannah Tompkins provided a spark by hitting a pair of three-pointers to cut the deficit to 24-18 with one minute left to play before halftime. But the Skyhawks answered with a run of their own as Candace Rhodes and Brianna Jones both scored a basket to give Point University a 29-18 lead at the half.

As the second half began, the Bruins continued to play great defense while chipping away at the lead. The team got great play from Hannah Tompkins as she knocked down five three point shots throughout the game to help the Bruins climb closer. Bhrianna Jackson also came on strong in the second half with several drives through the lane for points. 

Going into the final quarter of play, the Skyhawks held a 17 point lead over the Lady Bruins. The Bruins then caught fire as Sarah Thomsen and Hannah Tompkins drained several shots from behind the arc to cut the Point lead down to 49-44 with under a minute to play. But the Skyhawks held off the Bruins rally with key free throws down the stretch as Point University held on for the 55-50. 

"It's nice to finally have a game under our belt," Bruins guard Hannah Tompkins said. "We have a lot of potential on this team and I'm excited to see how we bounce back in our next game." 

Hannah Tompkins led the Bruins with 15 points while shooting 63% from behind the arc. Sarah Thomsen finished the night with 10 points and 5 rebounds. The Bruins were out-rebounded 43-25 in the game including yielding 18 offensive rebounds to the Skyhawks. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 0-1 on the season.

Next up, the Bruins will welcome Johnson University to Greenville on Saturday at 2 p.m.