The Lady Bruins overcame a slow start to the game as they surged in the second quarter and never looked back in a 65-45 win over Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Georgia on Tuesday night. With the win, the Bruins improve to 5-8 on the season and 2-0 in region play.
"It was a good team win and everyone contributed for us tonight which was good to see," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We're starting to play better basketball and will look to keep improving moving forward."
The Bruins were coming off a tough game on Monday night in a loss to South Carolina State University. Although the Bruins were playing their third game in the last four days, the team was excited to take the court against a familiar region opponent.
Both teams exchanged baskets early on as the score remained close. The Bruins couldn't seem to get into a consistent offensive rhythm as shots didn't fall. Despite their shooting struggles, the Bruins were able to limit the Screaming Eagles offensively. Still, the Bruins found themselves trailing as the first quarter came to a close with TFC leading 10-9.
The Bruins stormed out of the gate in the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 15-10 lead. The Screaming Eagles took a timeout hoping to stop the Bruins momentum. The Bruins had other plans as they came out of the timeout and went right back to work, extending their lead and the run to an 18-0 barrage of offense. It was a dominant defensive effort for the Bruins as they allowed the Screaming Eagles just three points the entire quarter. At the half, the Bruins lead 34-13.
In the second half, the Bruins continued to ride the three-pronged scoring attack of Sarah Thomsen, Madison Shupe and Sydney Bedsaul as they continued to push their lead. The Screaming Eagles tried to close the gap, but each basket was answered by the Bruins as they continued to maintain a large lead 51-27 at the end of the third quarter.
With the game in hand, the Bruins continued to pressure TFC defensively while using their transition game to convert points on the offensive end. Nearly every player on the roster scored and the Bruins dominated the rebounding margin as they limited second chance opportunities. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins captured their second region win of the season with a 65-45 victory.
"Even though we came out a little sloppy we were able to play good defense which helped us out," Coach LeViere said. "Our shooting wasn't great tonight, but we were able to rebound well and play defense which made up for it."
Sydney Bedsaul and Sarah Thomsen led the scoring effort for the Bruins with 12 points each. Thomsen also had 8 rebounds in the win. Madison Shupe finished the night with 10 points. The Bruins won the rebounding margin 45-30 while shooting nearly 40% from the field for the game.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Saturday afternoon as they face the University of South Carolina - Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
