With just seconds remaining, the Bruins had a chance to win the game on their last possession. Instead, a five-second violation gave the Eagles the ball back as Pensacola Christian College defeated Bob Jones University 59-57 on Friday night in the Davis Field House. With the loss, the Lady Bruins fall to 6-13 on the season.

"PCC is the number two ranked team in the NCCAA for a reason," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "Still, we were in it and had a chance to win the game. They are very talented with a lot of size down low." 

Coach LeViere implemented a full-court press into the game-plan for BJU, which was effective throughout the night forcing multiple turnovers and taking PCC out of the flow of their offense.
  
The defensive intensity helped the Lady Bruins jump out to an early 18-7 lead near the beginning of the 2^nd quarter. After a timeout called by PCC, the Eagles were able to turn the game around. Joy Smith, who scored 14 of her game high 18 points in the first half, hit back to back three pointers to cut into the deficit. That sparked a Pensacola rally as the Eagles then went on a 22-6 scoring run into the third quarter, taking a 29-24 lead.
  
It was a back and forth third quarter of play as both teams exhanged baskets and the lead. The buzzer ended the quarter tied 40-40, setting the stage for a thrilling final ten minutes. Foul trouble was a big factor for BJU as Gracen Ledford and Delaney Edwards each fouled out early in the fourth quarter. The amount of team fouls put PCC in the bonus, which led to the Eagles making seventeen of their twenty-two free throws in the game. Meanwhile the Bruins were only 3-6 on free throws as a team. Efficient free throw shooting played a huge role allowing Pensacola to come back after trailing early in the game.
 
With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, PCC took their biggest lead of the game 53-47. The Lady Bruins answered with a 7-0 run, courtesy of two clutch shots by Madison Shupe and a layup from Sarah Thomsen to give BJU a 54-53 lead.
 
"We did a great job maintaining composure," Bruins forward Kylee Leffew said. "Hustling on both sides of the floor propelled us back into the game."
 
The Bruins did not hold the lead for long as on the following possession Sandy McElhaney scored to give PCC a one point lead. Immediately after the basket, Coach LeViere encouraged his team to push the ball up the court quickly. On the following possession Sydney Bedsaul nailed a clutch three pointer to give BJU a 57-55 advantage with under a minute left to play.
 
After the Eagles tied the game at 57-57 with 26 seconds left, the Bruins had the opportunity to hold for the last shot. But that opportunity was wasted as the team was called for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball, giving possession back to PCC. Following the turnover, Ashton Welborn scored the game winning layup with three second left to give the Eagles a 59-57 win.
 
"It was a tough loss tonight but we have to keep our heads up," Bruins guard Sydney Bedsaul said. Bedsaul finished with 14 points on the night to lead the Bruins. "We need to believe in each other and continue to improve."
 
Sydney Bedsaul was the leading scorer for the Bruins while Madison Shupe scored 10 points. Kylee Leffew had a strong overall game with 7 points, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds. The BJU Lady Bruins will be back in action on Tuesday night as welcome another region opponent to the Davis Field House. The Bruins will face Toccoa Falls College with the tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.