The Lady Bruins opened the 2019-20 season on the road Saturday as the team fell to Johnson University (TN) 82-73 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kylee Leffew led the Bruins with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
"We were disappointed with the result but looking at the game overall we played pretty solid," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We hit some of our goals offensively, but really the reason we lost is that Johnson couldn't miss from three and we just didn't adjust to stop them."
The Bruins struggled to slow the Royals from three-point range as Tori Teesateskie and Jordan Smith combined to hit fifteen three-pointers for JUTN in the win. Still, the Bruins battled back several times throughout the game but their rally came up just short in the final minutes.
Early on, the Royals capitalized on their three-point shooting as they hit three three-pointers out of the gate to take a 9-6 lead. The Bruins were able to stay within striking distance as Rachel Clark and Madison Shupe knocked down shots. Still, the Royals continued to hit from long range as they closed out the quarter leading the Bruins 21-14.
In the second quarter, the Bruins came out strong thanks to back to back baskets by Leffew and a three by Delaney Edwards. Charsie Johnson then gave the Bruins their first lead of the game as she hit a three to put the team up 24-22.
With just over four minutes remaining in the half, Madison Shupe made a layup to give the Bruins their largest lead of the game at 30-23. The Royals again responded from three as Teesateskie and Smith combined to hit four threes to close out the half as Johnson took a 43-36 lead into the locker room.
As the second half began, the Bruins were determined to defend the three ball and claw their way back into the game. The Royals came out strong again as two threes put the team up 49-40.
Undaunted, the Bruins came right back as Gracen Ledford hit a three and Leffew added another layup to help the Bruins battle back to tie 49-49. Unfortunately, the Royals again closed out the quarter strong as they took a 58-53 lead into the final quarter of play.
With just one quarter to go, the Bruins were still within striking distance as they hoped to rally for the win. The Royals continued to hit from beyond the arc as they stretched their lead to 64-56. Rachel Clark hit back to back threes for the Bruins as they chipped away at the lead but the Royals continued to keep the upper hand.
Madison Shupe hit a three for the Bruins to help the team pull within five at 73-68. The Royals responded with a three of their own as a short run helped the team pull away in the final minutes to win 82-73 over the Bruins.
"We played better defensively in the second half but I think we just got in our own heads and couldn't overcome our mistakes," Coach LeViere said. "We have a lot of positives to take away but hate to lose an opener that was ours to take."
Leffew's double-double led the Bruins but the team also saw solid performances from Rachel Clark and Madison Shupe as Clark finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds and Shupe scored 16 points. The Bruins won the rebounding margin 49-37 while also shooting 40% from the field in the game.
Next up, the Bruins will back on the road next weekend for two games. First, the team will tip-off against Agnes Scott College on Friday, November 8, at 6 p.m.
