Box Score The Lady Bruins adjusted their travel plans as a mishap in communication changed game time from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon and the change in time seemed to affect the team's play all game long as the Bruins fell to Warren Wilson College 68-62. The loss snapped the Bruins 5 game winning streak and puts them at 16-11 on the season.
"We really struggled making decisions all throughout this game," Bruins' coach Mike LeViere said. "Our effort was there and the team worked really hard, but we just didn't reward ourselves in finishing."
The Bruins and Owls met earlier this season in Greenville as the Lady Bruins clawed their way to a 76-72 win. The team has been on fire as of late and had won 8 of their last 10 games entering Saturday's game. Warren Wilson came into the game with three-straight victories and stood 14-12 on the season. One winning streak would be snapped in this game as the two teams took the court.
Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes as neither was able to gain the upper hand. The Bruins had open looks offensively, but the teams shooting struggled as they shot just 23% from the field in the first half. The Owls closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run to take an 18-12 lead at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, the Owls continued to ride the momentum and build the lead but the Bruins remained within striking distance as Bhrianna Jackson drove through the lane for points and earned trips to the line. Still, the Bruins couldn't seem to capitalize on their offensive opportunities and the team struggled defensively as several players were in foul trouble early on as the Owls took a double-digit lead into the halftime break 35-25.
As the second half began, the Bruins began to slowly chip away at the Owls lead. Sydney Bedsaul provided a spark off the bench for the Bruins and Hannah Tompkins got hot from the outside as the Bruins climbed closer to drawing even. As the third quarter ended, the Owls had a 51-42 lead with just one quarter to go.
In the final quarter, the Bruins came out strong and strung together a run to cut the lead to 60-54. From there, the team allowed a 6-0 run by the Owls as Warren Wilson jumped back up to a comfortable lead. Still, the Bruins refused to quit and came roaring back with one final run but it wasn't enough as the Owls held on for a 68-62 win.
"We ran well at times but we just couldn't put everything all together," Coach LeViere said. "Defensively we struggled with positioning and really struggled to adjust to how the game was being officiated. We ruled the boards at times, but again we just didn't put it all together tonight."
Bhrianna Jackson led the Bruins with 21 points while Sydney Bedsaul scored 11. The team falls to 16-11 on the season with just three games remaining before the regional playoffs. Next up, the Bruins travel to Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday night for a matchup with Johnson and Wales University.
