Box Score Kendra Jeffcott rallied the Bruins inside, and Maggi Ford provided the scoring touch from three point range as the Lady Bruins defeated Columbia International University 69-60 on Tuesday night in Columbia, South Carolina. "It was good to come away with a win when we weren't playing our best," Coach Mike LeViere said. "We struggled in the first half and just didn't get things clicking. Thankfully, we were able to make adjustments and come away with the win."
With the win, the Bruins picked up their first conference victory of the season and have now won four straight games. The battled the CIU Rams who have had some struggles this season and came into the game with a 5-14 record.
Both teams struggled out of the gate as it took almost 3 minutes to gain the first basket of the game. CIU went on an 8-0 run to open the game as it took the Bruins nearly 6 minutes to gain their first basket. The Rams continued to battle for possession and closed out the quarter strong to take a 13-7 lead.
In the second quarter, the Bruins looked to make some defensive and offensive adjustments as Sha'Ron Brunson knocked down a three to get things rolling for BJU. Still the Rams continued to keep the lead, but Maggi Ford helped the Bruins chip away at the deficit with back to back buckets as the team cut the lead to 19-17. The Bruins battled back to tie the game as both teams exchanged baskets to close out the quarter with CIU taking a 29-28 lead into the break.
The Bruins came out strong to start the 2nd half as Hannah Tompkins knocked down back to back threes to give the Bruins the lead. The Bruins kept on rolling as the team was able to string together several defensive stops, and used great transition play to find open shooters for points. Maggi Ford fueled the Bruins offense in the third as she scored 10 straight points for the team to give the Bruins a 53-45 lead going into the final quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the Rams came out strong with a 6-0 run to cut into the Bruins lead. Then, the Bruins stopped the run as Kendra Jeffcott knocked down a three to help the team keep the lead. The team also converted from the free throw line down the stretch as the Bruins continued to stay on top. Defensively, the team forced several turnovers and consistently pressured the Rams into tough shots in the final quarter. In the end, the Bruins were able to hang on for an important 69-60 conference road win.
"The team adjusted and performed well considering the struggles we were having in the game," Coach LeViere said. "It was nice to see our team get the win while not having the greatest game. No one person did it for us, but we grinded it out as a team and came away with the victory."
Maggi Ford led the Bruins with 20 points while Kendra Jeffcott recorded a double double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Bhrianna Jackson chipped in 11. The team forced 28 turnovers despite losing the rebounding battle 49-38. With the win, the team moves to 15-10 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road at Allen University on Thursday night.
