The Lady Bruins basketball team is headed back to the region championship after the team defeated #3 seeded Trinity Baptist College 74-65 on Friday night in the semifinal round of the NCCAA DII South Region Tournament. The team won the region title two years ago and were upset in their pursuit of a second-straight region championship last season. The Lady Bruins were able to hold off several late runs by the Eagles to capture the win.
"We didn't play great tonight and in a lot of ways we were outplayed," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We played tentative a lot of the game and didn't play to our potential but I am glad we were able to move on."
The Bruins came into the game after closing out the regular season strong winning six of their last seven games. The Bruins and Eagles had met twice in the regular season with the Bruins winning both matchups.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Eagles went back and forth with the score remaining close in the opening quarter. The Bruins were able to force the Eagles into tough looks on offense, but turnovers to BJU didn't allow the Bruins to push away and build a lead. As a result, the two teams were tied 10-10 at the end of the first.
Madison Shupe provided a boost for the Bruins in the first half as she knocked down shots to spark a 11-3 run as the Bruins took a 21-13 lead. The team fed off the momentum as their defense tightened, forcing the Eagles to commit several turnovers. The Bruins kept pushing the tempo and began to find their rhythm as Sarah Thomsen hit a three to help the Bruins close out the half strong leading 35-25 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to put the game away. Instead, the Eagles came clawing back to pull within three 45-42. Thomsen stopped the Eagles run with back to back three point shots as the Bruins pulled back away from the Eagles. Another late run by TBC to end the quarter closed the gap as the Bruins led 55-52 at the end of the third.
The Eagles continued to ride their momentum as they fought back to tie the game and then take the lead 58-55 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Again, the Bruins relied on the shooting touch of Sarah Thomsen and Madison Shupe as well as the post play of Delaney Edwards as the team went on a 9-0 run to regain the lead with just under five minutes to go.
With the game drawing to a close, the Eagles tried to mount one last effort to be able to keep their season hopes alive. The Bruins wouldn't allow it as key free throws and baskets down the stretch coupled with strong defensive stops allowed BJU to hold on for a 74-65 win.
"Being deep on our bench saved us today," Coach LeViere said. "We had some uncharacteristic turnovers from players we normally depend on which really stymied our ability to pull away when we would get the lead. We didn't cover the court the way we needed to defensively and looked a little discombobulated at times. We're going to look at film tonight and come out looking to be better tomorrow."
Four players scored in double figures for the Bruins on the night as Sarah Thomsen led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the game. Delaney Edwards also had a double-double for BJU with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the game while Madison Shupe and Kylee Leffew each scored 10 points for the team in the win. The Bruins were able to dominate the rebounding margin 57-39 which proved to be a factor in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will take on #1 seeded Pensacola Christian College for the NCCAA DII South Region Championship on Saturday. Tip-off for the region championship is set for 2 p.m. (EST) in Pensacola, Florida.
