Box Score
The Lady Bruins basketball team punched their ticket to the NCCAA DII South Region Championship as the team defeated #2 seeded Trinity College 78-64 on Friday night in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. Hannah Tompkins led the Bruins with 18 points in the win.
"Every team member stepped up and fulfilled their role tonight," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We just beat a very athletic and good team and had a great effort from the entire team. I'm really happy for this young group."
The Bruins entered the game after a dominant win over Piedmont International University in the quarterfinals. Their opponent would be the #2 seeded Trinity College Tigers, who had split the regular season series with the Bruins as each team won on the road against each other.
Both teams exchanged baskets in the opening minutes as each tried to establish momentum. Hannah Tompkins knocked down key shots from the outside but the Bruins weren't able to overtake the Tigers as Trinity College ended the first quarter up 21-17.
In the second quarter, the Tigers continued to hold the upper hand, but the Bruins refused to back down as Sha'Ron Brunson and Madison Shupe battled for rebounds in the post while also playing tough defense. Thanks to impressive play by Kylee Leffew and Hannah Tompkins, the Bruins took the lead 29-28. But the Tigers wouldn't be denied as they closed out the first half strong to take a 34-31 lead into the break.
As the second half began, the Bruins knocked down a three-point shot to climb back into the game. From there, the two teams were neck and neck as the neither was able to lead by more than a basket for a majority of the third quarter. The Bruins tough defensive effort began to pay off as the team used their strong defense to fuel their offense for points. The buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, and the Bruins had a 51-47 lead.
Just ten minutes stood between a trip to the region championship for both of these teams. Hannah Tompkins and Sarah Thomsen knocked down back to back threes to begin the quarter as the Bruins stretched their lead to double digits. The Tigers were back on their heels but refused to give up as they continued to battle back. Again, Tompkins and Thomsen proved to be the difference on offense while the team forced tough looks defensively and battled hard to grab rebounds. As the final horn sounded, the Lady Bruins celebrated as they earned a trip to the Region Championship with a 78-64 win.
"It took every one of us," Coach LeViere said. "We played well in the first half and still found ourselves down. I am proud of the way we battled back and outrebounded Trinity in the second half."
Hannah Tompkins had 18 points and 5 rebounds on the night while freshman Kylee Leffew finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Madison Shupe had another impressive game for the squad finishing with 14 points while shooting 6-7 from the field (86%).
With the win, the Lady Bruins will compete in the NCCAA DII South Region Championship tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
