Rebounding was the story of the night for the Lady Bruins as the team allowed South Carolina State to have 23 offensive rebounds as the team fell to the Bulldogs 67-51 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 4-8 on the season.
"I don't care who you play, when you allow the other team to shoot twenty-three more times than you do you are going to lose," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We played well defensively in forcing them to take outside shots, but we just didn't finish the play by securing the rebound."
The Bruins came into the game after picking up their first region win of the season in a victory over Trinity Baptist College on Saturday. The team knew they were going to be in for a tough week with three games and two of them being played against NCAA DI programs.
In the opening minutes, the Bulldogs knocked down back to back shots before Gracen Ledford put the Bruins on the board with a three point shot as the team trailed 6-3. Delaney Edwards would tie the game on the next possession as she knocked down another three but the Bulldogs answered right back as they closed out the first quarter of play on a 13-3 run to lead 19-9.
Madison Shupe knocked down a shot to begin the scoring in the second quarter, but the Bruins couldn't seem to close the gap as the Bulldogs pushed their lead back to double digits. Another costly 10-0 run by the Bulldogs pushed the lead up to 29-11 before Sarah Thomsen knocked down a three for the Bruins to stop the bleeding. SC State was able to take momentum into the half after Jakayvea Akins hit a three to give the Bulldogs a 34-19 lead at halftime.
In the second half, things went from bad to worse for the Bruins as the team allowed the Bulldogs to secure offensive rebounds which led to second chance points. Still, the Bruins battled back and remained within striking distance after Sydney Bedsaul hit a three to cut the lead to 37-27. Another 10-0 run extended the Bulldogs lead as they closed out the 3rd quarter up 47-29.
All season long, the Bruins have been able to mount a late rally in the final quarter. They would need another rally in this game as Madison Shupe hit back to back threes to cut into the lead. Shupe would hit another three, but unfortunately the deficit was just too much to overcome as the Bulldogs secured a 67-51 victory.
"Overall we played well tonight against a division one program," Coach LeViere said. "Our shooting was solid and now we just need to learn from this and get ready for another game tomorrow."
Shupe led the Bruins with 16 points on the night shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc. Sarah Thomsen had a near double-double in the game with 7 points and 9 rebounds. The Bulldogs owned the rebounding margin as they outrebounded the Bruins 45-26.
Next up, the Bruins will be back in action on Tuesday as the team travels to Toccoa, Georgia, for a matchup against region opponent Toccoa Falls College.
