The Bruins were within striking distance as they trailed 36-27 at halftime, but a slow start to the second half ended any chance of an upset as the team fell to USC Upstate (NCAA DI) 71-49 on Thursday night in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
"We played a really good game over all but had a lapse coming out of halftime," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We had done a great job of bringing their lead down but came out of halftime and they went on a run to stretch the lead. That really was the difference in the game. They made some shots and we didn't."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of back to back wins over Covenant College and Trinity Baptist College. The team looked to keep up their winning ways but knew they would be in for a tough test against the Spartans who came into the game at 4-4 overall after a win over South Carolina State University on Saturday.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Spartans exhanged baskets with USC Upstate maintaining a slim lead. The Bruins played well defensively especially Gracen Ledford who was matched with Spartans top-scorer Brianna Lewis who came into the game averaging nearly fifteen points per game.
The Spartans went on a 6-0 run in the middle of the quarter but Ledford hit a jump shot to help spark a late run by the Bruins as the first quarter ended with BJU trailing Upstate 19-13.
Michaela Gibbons hit a three to open the scoring for the Spartans in the second quarter but Shea Dickinson answered back with a three of her own for the Bruins as the team looked to chip away at the lead. Another strong run by the Bruins to end the quarter helped the team close the gap as Madison Shupe hit a jump shot and Kylee Leffew hit a three to help the Bruins trail 36-27 going into halftime.
Coming out in the second half, the Bruins looked to grab momentum and take their first lead of the game. Instead, the Spartans came out strong and went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to double-digits. During that stretch, the Bruins were 0-8 from the field and couldn't slow the Spartans scoring attack. Despite closing the quarter strong, the Bruins found themselves in a big hole trailing 56-36 at the end of the third.
The game was nearly out of reach but the Bruins refused to quit as Kylee Leffew made a layup and Dickinson hit another three to help the Bruins cut into the lead. The Spartans came back with baskets of their own as they didn't allow the Bruins to maintain their offensive rhythm. As a result, the Bruins couldn't complete a comeback as the team fell 71-49.
"I'm really happy with how we played," Coach LeViere said. "Other than some turnovers, we played a really good game. They are really tall and quick and we had to really be disciplined to keep them off the offensive glass. This is a good way to end the first semester and it was great effort and some pretty good basketball overall."
Kylee Leffew led the Bruins with 11 points while Shea Dickinson finished with 10 as the Bruins fall to 5-7 on the season. Despite being undersized, the Bruins stayed close in the rebounding margin 40-34. Unfortunately, turnovers proved costly for the Bruins as they committed 25 in the game.
With the loss, the Bruins wrap up the first semester of play. The team has battled through a difficult portion of their schedule and will be back in action for second semester play beginning January 9. The Bruins will be on the road as they face Grace Christian University in Kissimmee, Florida.
