The Lady Bruins basketball team saw their championship hopes vanish on Thursday afternoon as the team was defeated by #4 Maranatha Baptist University 75-49 in the quarterfinals of the NCCAA DII National Tournament. With the loss, the Bruins move to the consolation bracket, officially eliminating them from championship contention.
"This one stings a lot," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We really thought we could come into this tournament and compete for a national championship. The scoreboard was really indicative of the game. We couldn't score and they did."
The Bruins came into the game after entering the tournament as the #5 seed. The team received the at-large bid after falling in the NCCAA DII South Region Championship. The Sabercats came into the game as the #4 seed and represented the North Region after capturing the region championship over Providence University College on February 23. A trip to the final four was on the line as the two teams took the court at the Davis Field House.
Kelsey Johnson knocked down a three early on for the Sabercats as MBU jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in the opening quarter. The Bruins were able to claw their way back as Gracen Ledford hit a three and Delaney Edwards banked home a layup as the Bruins trailed 15-13. The Sabercats were able to close the quarter on a 9-0 run as Maranatha led 24-13 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Sabercats continued to maintain their lead as they took advantage offensively in knocking down open looks. The Sabercats also generated second-chance opportunities as offensive rebounds led to put back layups and open shots. The Bruins couldn't seem to find their offensive rhythm as open shots rimmed out. As a result, the Bruins couldn't make up ground as they went into halftime trailing 34-23.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to close the gap and get back into the game. Kylee Leffew hit a jumper and Sydney Bedsaul knocked down a three but the Sabercats answered offensively as the Bruins continued to trail by double digits. The Bruins continued to find open looks but shots continued to miss. The Sabercats took advantage as another 10-0 run by MBU helped the team lead BJU 58-37 at the end of the third.
With one quarter to play, the Bruins began to feel their season slipping away. The Bruins have relied on three-pointers all season long and have been efficient in scoring from beyond the arc. In this game, the Bruins combined to shoot just 11% from three-point range. Sarah Thomsen and Madison Shupe combined to shoot 0-14 from three-point range in the game.
"We weren't taking bad shots," Coach LeViere said. "We just had a lot of shots rim out tonight. Unfortunately, that's basketball sometimes and you just have to find a way to put the ball in the hoop."
As a result, the Bruins couldn't make up ground as the Sabercats pulled away in the final quarter to win the game 75-49 and eliminate the Bruins from national title contention. "Again, the score wasn't a true indicator of our success tonight," Coach LeViere said. "We did a lot of things well and Maranatha is a really good team. When you shoot the way we did tonight and allow them to score the way they did, it is going to be hard to win games. We have to do a gut check tonight and come back tomorrow looking to close out our season with a win."
Delaney Edwards led the Bruins with 22 points and 8 rebounds on the night. Kylee Leffew was the only other player in double figures for the team as she finished with 11 points. The Bruins shot just 31% from the field while the Sabercats shot 50% from three in the second half to move onto the final four.
On Friday, the Lady Bruins will play their final game of the 2018-19 season as the team plays in the consolation game against #6 Johnson University (TN). Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. in the Davis Field House.
