Box Score
Another slow start offensively led to another tough road loss for the Lady Bruins as the team fell to Southern Wesleyan University 88-59 on Thursday night in Central, South Carolina.
"We played a very good game overall even though the scoreboard doesn't show it," Bruins Coach Mike LeViere said. "We struggled offensively tonight but still played good defense in stretches. Overall happy with this game and our effort tonight."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough loss to Johnson University on Tuesday night. With several injuries, the Bruins lacked depth in one of their most difficult stretches of their season schedule. Their competition wouldn't get easier as they took the court against the Warriors who came into the game at 2-4 looking to snap their 4-game losing streak in front of their home crowd.
In the opening minutes, the Warriors couldn't seem to miss as they had great ball movement to jump out to a 13-0 lead. The Bruins couldn't seem to find an answer as the team missed their first ten shots from the field. They kept the Warriors from running away with it by playing good defense as the first quarter ended with the Bruins trailing 16-7.
As the second quarter began, the Bruins looked to find a spark offensively. They found it in key contributions off the bench from Chastiva Weatheroy and Kylee Leffew as the pair provided solid rebounding and post play to help the team fight their way back into the game. After a three-point shot by Hannah Tompkins the Bruins trimmed their deficit to 31-23 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to draw even. Sha'Ron Brunson knocked down a three point shot to begin the scoring in the half for the Bruins but the Warriors responded with a 9-2 run to again build a double-digit lead. The Bruins tightened up defensively and began to knock down shots on offense. As the third quarter ended, the team trailed 58-43.
With one quarter remaining, the Lady Bruins knew they had one last chance to try to steal a road win. But a 15-2 run by the Warriors to start the quarter ended any hopes of a comeback as the Bruins fell to Southern Wesleyan University 88-59.
"To face this team the way that we did and come away with them nearly doubling us in fouls I felt was an accomplishment," Coach LeViere said. "We had those stretches in the game where we couldn't seem to score and in the 4th we couldn't recover from that. Overall, a valiant effort against a good Warriors team."
Sarah Thomsen led the Bruins with 14 points on the night while also playing another great game defensively. Brianna Delaney scored 13 points on the night and Hannah Tompkins finished with 10. Kylee Leffew provided a spark off the bench with 6 points and 8 rebounds. The Warriors won the rebounding margin as the team outrebounded BJU 52-30 in the game.
With the loss, the Lady Bruins fall to 4-6 on the season. Next up, the Lady Bruins will make their ESPN3 debut as the team will battle University of South Carolina Upstate on Saturday afternoon in Spartnburg, South Carolina.
