Box Score
In a back and forth battle which included seven lead changes, the Lady Bruins fell short as they lost to the Warren Wilson College Owls 89-73 on Saturday afternoon in the Davis Field House. Hannah Tompkins led the Bruins with 19 points and Sarah Thomsen added 10 points and 10 rebounds as the team falls to 7-10 on the season.
"I felt like our defense let us down a bit in the fourth quarter," Bruins Coach Mike LeViere said. "We didn't shoot the ball well in this game but you can win a game on an off night shooting if you do the little things right. We turned the ball over at key times and allowed 31 points in the fourth quarter. When you are playing a good team like we were tonight those little things matter that much more."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a dominant region victory on Tuesday night as they defeated Toccoa Falls College. The team returned home for their first home game since December 6. Their opponent would be the Warren Wilson College Owls who entered the game with a 6-10 record after back to back wins over Johnson University and Washington Adventist University.
As the game began, the Bruins used a quick start to jump out to a 14-8 advantage. The team was able to drive through the lane for points and converted on high percentage shots around the rim. But three straight three point shots for the Owls helped WWC storm back to close out the quarter with a 21-17 lead.
In the second quarter, the Bruins fought back to tie the game but another three-point shot Amber Godfrey helped spark a run for the Owls as Warren Wilson took a 33-24 lead. But the Bruins came back with a run of their own as they got three straight three-point shots from Rachel Clark, Sydney Bedsaul and Hannah Tompkins to claw their way back to within a basket. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Owls clung to a 37-33 lead.
The Bruins stormed out of the gate in the second half with an 8-0 run as they battled back to retake the lead. The Bruins caught fire from beyond the arc as the team hit four more three's to build a 47-41 lead. The Owls responded with hot three-point shooting of their own as back to back bombs allowed WWC to tie the game 47-47. The two teams went back and forth trading points and momentum. As the third quarter ended, the Bruins led 59-58.
Both teams knew a win was within their grasps as the final quarter began. Owls guard Amber Godfrey scored ten straight points for her team as the Bruins fell behind 72-65. The Bruins tried to mount one last run, but the Owls stood strong defensively while earning several trips to the line as they held off the Bruins with a 89-73 win.
"We can build on what we did right tonight and take that into our game next week," Coach LeViere said. "We have a good stretch here of winnable games but we need to make sure we extrapolate those good things we are doing to win the games we need to going forward."
Warren Wilson College had a great game from the free throw line as the Owls made 24-25 free throw attempts. The Bruins had three players scored in double figures as Hannah Tompkins finished with 19, Sydney Bedsaul with 14 and Sarah Thomsen with 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds. The Bruins also won the rebounding margin 41-39, but the team couldn't contain the Owls down the stretch as BJU falls to 7-10 on the season.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Tuesday night as the battle region rival Piedmont International University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
