Madison Shupe powered the Bruins to their first NCCAA DII South Region win on Saturday afternoon as she scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 64-54 win over Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. With the win, the Bruins improve to 4-7 on the season.
"We're in the midst of the part of our schedule where we have to be mentally tough and grind through each game," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We played a good game in a hostile gym. We just have to keep things on the positive trajectory we're on as we move forward."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough loss on Thursday night to Brevard College. The Bruins were looking to right the ship, especially as they took the court to begin region play.
Kylee Leffew and Delaney Edwards got things going for the Bruins early on with buckets in the paint as the team jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Eagles clawed their way right back into the game with a 9-0 run as they took an 11-10 lead. The Eagles continued to ride the energy of their hometown crowd as they closed the quarter strong with a 16-12 lead.
In the second quarter, the Bruins opened with three straight baskets in the paint as they came back to tie the game 18-18. Kylee Leffew was the difference for the Bruins in the quarter as she scored several times in the lane to help the Bruins take a slim lead. Madison Shupe scored on a jump shot and then hit a three pointer as the Bruins roared back to take a 30-21 lead into halftime.
As the second half began, Madison Shupe picked up where she left off as she hit another three to help the Bruins build a double-digit lead. Defensively, the Bruins forced the Eagles into tough looks and took advantage of solid rebounding to eliminate second-chance opportunities. Four straight three pointers by the Bruins helped the team take a large lead 50-34 with just one quarter to play.
Despite a comfortable lead, the Bruins knew the Eagles weren't going to back down. Sarah Thomsen knocked down a three as the Bruins kept the Eagles at bay. With just over two minutes remaining, the Eagles tried to make a run as they cut the lead down to single digits after Michelle Jones hit a three pointer. The Bruins responded with good clock management and taking advantage of their free throws as they held off the Eagles 64-54.
"We played a good game and won even though we didn't shoot well," Coach LeViere said. "We were able to overcome some of our offensive struggles by playing good defense and rebounding well. We're really starting to do good things defensively which is exciting to see."
Shupe's double-double led the way for the Bruins while Gracen Ledford and Kylee Leffew each had 10 points in the win. Ledford also had a strong game with 9 rebounds. The Bruins won the rebounding margin 46-37 to pick up their first region win of the season.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again on Monday night as they face South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
