Box Score
Despite having a large lead in the 2nd half, the Lady Bruins couldn't hold off a late rally as Columbia International University stormed back to win 71-70 on Saturday afternoon. It was senior night for the Lady Bruins as the team honored Sha'Ron Brunson, their lone senior on the squad as well as team manager Brooklynn Bullard.
With the loss, the Lady Bruins have now dropped three straight and four of their last five games. The Bruins and Rams had met earlier in the season in Columbia, South Carolina with BJU edging the Rams 70-60.
It was a slow start for both teams as the first three minutes of play yielded just one point off a Rams' free throw. During that time, the Lady Bruins committed three consecutive turnovers to keep themselves scoreless. With just under seven minutes to go in the quarter, Kylee Leffew scored back-to-back buckets to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. Leffew sparked an 11-0 run which saw Sarah Thomsen sink a three and a field goal. The Bruins closed out the quarter strong as Sydney Bedsaul scored to give the Lady Bruins a controlling 19-7 lead after the first quarter.
Another slow start saw minutes pass by in the second quarter before the Bruins scored. Sha'Ron Brunson scored to give the Bruins a 22-11 lead. Following the Rams' next bucket, Thomsen and Brunson each made a three to put the Bruins on a 6-0 run. With a 28-15 lead, both teams traded free throws to bring the game to a score of 31-19. The Rams were able to score twice more before the end of the half, cutting their deficit to 33-23 at halftime.
In the second half, the Rams were able to score their first three of the game, cutting the Lady Bruins lead down to 36-28. However, Bedsaul answered with a three of her own to bring the Lady Bruins back up by eleven at 39-28. The Rams stormed back with a 10-0 run which cut their deficit down to one at 43-42. Leffew ended the run by sinking a desperately needed three giving the Lady Bruins a 45-42 advantage. The teams continued to battle down the stretch as the Bruins led 49-45 with just one quarter to play.
Lauren Smith opened up scoring for the Lady Bruins in the fourth quarter, increasing their lead to 51-45. However, CIU would not sit idly by as the Rams went on a 5-0 run to once again bring their deficit to one at 51-50. Thomsen and Shupe answered back to help build a 55-50 cushion. The Rams were able to get a bucket to cut the lead back down to three, but Shupe scored on the following two possessions to help give the Bruins a 62-53 lead late in the game. Then the game started to unravel for the Lady Bruins as the Rams went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 62-62. Thomsen was fouled on the next possession and she made both free throws to give the Lady Bruins the lead back at 64-62.
Down the stretch, the two teams had several ties before Amanda Bates scored an and-one to give the Bruins a 69-66 lead. The Rams were then fouled and made their free throw to find themselves down by one again at 69-68. A free throw by Bedsaul put the Lady Bruins back up by two at 70-68, but the Rams made a three-point play to take a 71-70 lead with six seconds to go. Sarah Thomsen had one last chance to score but her layup fell short as the Rams had completed the comeback to win 71-70.
"We came out of that third quarter and we just weren't dialed in." Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We had two turnovers in our first two possessions and that's kind of been our Achilles' heel all season."
With their third straight loss, the Lady Bruins end their regular season with a 13-17 record. Thomsen led the Bruins with 17 points, Madison Shupe and Sydney Bedsaul finished with 13 and 11 points respectively. Bedsaul also led the team with seven assists while Brunson finished the game with six points and four rebounds.
Sha'Ron Brunson finishes the regular season with 964 career points and has the potential to become the third player in program history to reach 1,000 points in the upcoming NCCAA Division II Regional and National Tournaments. "Sha'Ron is what we're about- playing hard, being excellent on the court, but doing so in a God honoring way." LeViere said. "In terms of her being our first ever recruit, we got it right."
Brooklyn Bullard, the team manager, is also graduating this semester. "She's just as important as any member of the team. She does so much for us behind the scenes that people don't see and they don't realize how important that manager position is to us." LeViere said. "I can't say enough about how they will be missed. They represent exactly as I would want them to and the university can be really, really proud of what they've done."
The team will prepare for the Regional Playoff which will take place next week in Jacksonville, Florida. Final seeding for the tournament will be decided soon.
