Box Score
Less than 24 hours after picking up a season opening win, the Lady Bruins found the winning column again as they defeated Kentucky Christian University 76-72 on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee.
"It was a really good weekend for us to start the season," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We fofund out a lot about who we are and what we are capable of. The exciting part is that we are young and we know we are going to get better as the season goes along."
The Bruins post players helped to carry the team in the win over KCU as Kylee Leffew finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds while freshman Lauren Smith had 12 points and 9 boards in the game. The Bruins jumped out to an early 13-9 advantage as they were able to push the ball ahead for open lanes to score. The Knights fought back to tie the game before the Bruins closed out the quarter strong to end the 1st quarter with a 21-17 lead.
In the second quarter, the Bruins were able to string together great defensive and offensive play as they continued to add to their lead. Still, the Knights wouldn't go away as they remained within striking distance. At the half, the Bruins were ahead 43-36.
As the second half began, the Bruins continued to feed the post and Leffew and Smith took advantage as the pair combined for 25 points while shooting 65% from the floor. Despite the strong effort offensively, the Bruins committed several mistakes allowing the Knights to climb back into the game. As the third quarter ended, the Bruins still held a slim lead 58-53.
With one quarter to play, the Bruins looked to close out the Knights but couldn't slow the KCU run as they came back to tie the game at 67-67. Down the stretch, Bruins veteran players Sydney Bedsaul and Sha'Ron Brunson each came up with free throw makes when it mattered most as the Bruins held on for a 76-72 win to open the season at 2-0.
"I am really looking forward to seeing how this group will continue to come together," Coach LeViere said. "We showed resilience to win this game and we'll continue to learn our stuff and get better each day."
Leffew led the Bruins with 13 points while Lauren Smith finished with 12. Sarah Thomsen also had 12 points on the night as the Bruins shot 43% from the field in the game. The team owned the rebounding margin as the Bruins out-rebounded the Knights 53-32. With the win, the Bruins improve to 2-0 on the season. Next up, the team will again be on the road Saturday at Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina.
