Box Score
The #2 seeded Lady Bruins were eliminated in the semifinal round of the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament on Friday night as the team fell to #3 Trinity College 69-66 in Jacksonville, Florida.
"I feel for our young ladies as they have traveled a long way and struggled through a lot this season," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "This was a really disappointing loss for us. Despite the injuries we have, we have to be able to come out and compete and we didn't tonight."
The Tigers and Bruins battled hard in two games during the regular season with the Bruins winning both games by a narrow margin. With a trip to the region championship on the line, both teams took the court.
After the two teams exhanged baskets early on, the Bruins went on n 8-0 run to take a 16-6 lead. The Tigers came right back to close the gap as the first quarter ended with the Bruins leading 20-14.
In the second quarter, the Tigers scored back to back buckets to climb right back into the game before both teams tied at 23-23. The Bruins got a big spark off the bench from Kylee Leffew as the sophomore recorded a double-double on the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the game. The Bruins maintained the upper hand but the Tigers remained within striking distance as the halftime score was 37-33 in favor of BJU.
As the second half began, the Bruins were able to work the ball in the paint and scored in and around the rim. Still, the Tigers found the answer with each possession as the score remained close. With under minutes left in the quarter, the Tigers came back to take the lead as Kandice Blackman knocked down a three to put TC up 45-43. The Bruins were able to regain the lead from the free throw line and a three pointer to close out the third quarter gave the Bruins a 52-49 lead with just one quarter to play.
The Bruins were just ten minutes away from their second straight trip to the region championship. The Tigers again climbed on top as Blackman again hit a three to give TC a 56-55 lead. The Tigers would hit another three to take their largest lead of the half at 59-55. Sarah Thomsen knocked down a three to bring the Bruins right back and Sydney Bedsaul gave the Bruins a 61-60 lead after she hit a three with just over four minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets as the game began to draw to a close.
With just over two minutes to play, Kylee Leffew calmly hit two free throws to give the Bruins a 66-65 lead. The Tigers answered back with a layup from Larissa Roker to take a 67-66 lead. Roker would score again to give the Tigers a 69-66 lead. Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't answer back with a game-tying three as the Tigers held on for the win.
"We all have areas to improve on," Coach LeViere said. "I need to get this team to perform better. I believe we can play much better but we just have to buckle down and figure it out."
Kylee Leffew's double-double led the way for the Bruins while Madison Shupe scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds and Sarah Thomsen finished with 11 points. At the host school for the NCCAA DII National Tournament, the Lady Bruins earn an at-large bid to compete. The only way the Bruins wouldn't compete is if the team should turn down the at-large invitation. The national tournament will be played March 8-10 in Greenville, South Carolina.
