Box Score
The Lady Bruins made a team-record seventeen three-pointers as the team caught fire in the 2nd half to defeat the Columbia International University Rams 70-60 on Tuesday night in Columbia, South Carolina.
"We're happy to pick up a road win against a good team," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We knew they were going to zone us up and our players did a great job of getting the ball inside with post feeds and dribble drives and then getting the ball back out for open looks around the arc."
The Lady Bruins entered Tuesday's game on the heels of a region win on Saturday over Trinity Baptist College. Sydney Bedsaul and Sarah Thomsen combined for six three-pointers to open the scoring for BJU as the team was off and running with an 18-6 lead. Despite their hot shooting from the perimeter, the Bruins struggled from inside the arc as the team was just 1-17 from the field in the first half. Still the Bruins held a slight advantage as they ended the first quarter up 18-13.
In the second quarter, the Rams closed the gap as they took advantage of several Bruins' turnovers to go on an 11-0 run and take a 24-18 lead. Sarah Thomsen remained on fire from beyond the arc as she battled the Bruins back to tie 26-26. The Rams were able to close out the half strong as they took a 30-27 lead into the break.
"We made life difficult for ourselves that half by turning the ball over and missing some really easy buckets," Coach LeViere said.
As the second half began, Rachel Clark added to the three-point onslaught by knocking down two straight for the Bruins as the team led 33-30. The Rams answered right back before both teams tied 36-36. From there, Sha'Ron Brunson and Sydney Bedsaul both hit threes and Kylee Leffew banked home a layup to spark an 8-0 run by the Bruins as they took their largest lead since the opening quarter. The Bruins defense also locked in as the team forced the Rams into turnovers and tough shots. As the third quarter ended, the Bruins led 49-45.
With one quarter to play, the Rams came out looking to battle back for a win in front of the home crowd. The Bruins had other plans as Sarah Thomsen again hit a three to keep the lead. The Bruins were able to hit free throws down the stretch as they finished off the Rams 70-60 for the win.
"We have some good things to take from this and others that we can improve on," Coach LeViere said. "We played hard and were able to get some extra rest to some players with nagging injuries."
Sarah Thomsen led the Bruins with 28 points while shooting 67% from three-point range. Sydney Bedsaul also had 16 points and 6 assists. The Bruins shot 57% from three while forcing the Rams into 20 turnovers. With the win, the Bruins improve to 8-12 on the season.
Next up, the Lady Bruins will be back home for another region contest as they welcome Toccoa Falls College to the Davis Field House on Friday night.
