Box Score
The Lady Bruins rushed the court in celebration as the team defeated Pensacola Christian College 79-69 to capture their first NCCAA DII South Region Championship. Sarah Thomsen was one of four Bruins to score in double figures as she finished with 19 points in the win.
"I am really proud of this team and their effort and execution over the last few days," Bruins Coach Mike LeViere said. "To overcome the personnel issues of losing three starters throughout the season and have the youth in this team perform the way they have has been awesome."
The Lady Bruins entered the tournament as the #3 seed and defeated both Piedmont International University and Trinity College to reach the region championship game. They would face a familiar foe in the Pensacola Christian College Eagles who entered the tournament with the #1 seed. The two teams split their season series with both capturing a victory at home. Just forty minutes would decide a region champion as the Eagles and Bruins took the court.
The Eagles jumped to an early lead as they worked the ball inside for points, but back to back three-point shots from Sha'Ron Brunson put the Bruins back on top. Both teams went back and forth the remainder of the quarter but Madison Shupe hit a three with under a minute to go to give the Bruins an 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Bruins struck first as Rachel Clark made a three point shot to increase the lead. After the Eagles answered with a three pointer of their own, the Lady Bruins went on a 10-0 run to go up by double digits 30-20. Despite a late run by the Eagles, the Bruins took a 38-32 lead into the half.
Sarah Thomsen got the offense going for the Bruins in the second half as she hit back to back three point shots to put the Bruins up 44-36. The Bruins forced the Eagles into tough looks and used their hard-nosed defense to fuel transition baskets and trips to the line. But a three-point shot by Jessica Boyd kept the Eagles within striking distance as the third quarter ended with the Bruins up 58-51.
With just ten minutes remaining to decide a region champion, both teams came out looking to gain momentum. Sarah Thomsen was again the difference for BJU as she knocked down another outside shot to increase the lead. Rachel Clark followed it up with another three point bomb as the Bruins went up again by double-digits. The Eagles came charging back into the game as they put together a late run to trail 66-64 with just over four minutes remaining. Thomsen responded with another deep three point shot as the Bruins led 70-64.
With under two minutes to play, the Bruins got a clutch three-pointer from Hannah Tompkins who had been limited by the Eagles defense for much of the game. Still, the Eagles wouldn't give up and tried to battle back but the Bruins free throw shooting was clutch as the team held off PCC to win the game 79-69.
"PCC is such a hard team to beat," Coach LeViere said. "This was another great team win for us. It was an intense game that was hard fought and well played. Our players showed great poise and maturity and now they are region champions!"
Thomsen led the Bruins with 19 points while Sha'Ron Brunson and Madison Shupe each finished with 13 and Hannah Tompkins finished with 10. The team shot 47% from beyond the arc and won the rebounding margin 46-32.
The Lady Bruins captured their first-ever region championship and punched their ticket to the NCCAA DII National Tournament. Final seeding for the tournament will be decided in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to
bjubruins.com for the latest information about the National Tournament.
