A strong second quarter allowed the Bruins to battle back from a deficit as the team picked up a road win on Thursday night defeating Methodist University 58-53 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. With the win, the Bruins move above .500 for the first time this season at 10-9. The victory also marks the third in a row for the team.
"We were happy to get the win," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We turned the ball over way too many times which allowed them to stay in the game. Thankfully we were able to work hard in rebounding and that made up for our turnovers. We really had to work hard for this win and had some key players step up for us off the bench tonight."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of back to back wins over Toccoa Falls College and Johnson University (TN). The team played Furman University earlier this week in an exhibition game. The Monarchs came into the game at 3-16 having snapped an eight-game losing streak on Tuesday in a win over Salem College.
Earlier this season, the Bruins and Monarchs had played in Greenville with BJU winning convincingly in an 81-54 victory. As the two teams took the floor in the Riddle Center, both looked to add another "W" to the win column of the season standings.
From the opening tip, the Bruins worked the ball inside and found open looks as Kylee Leffew, Delaney Edwards and Jody Bates scored in the paint. The Monarchs matched the Bruins point for point with the score remaining close. Near the midway point of the quarter, the Bruins shooting went cold as the team didn't record a field goal the rest of the quarter as they trailed 11-8 at the end of the first.
The Bruins found their groove offensively in the second quarter as Shea Dickinson and Rachel Clark hit back to back shots and Madison Shupe added a three to give the Bruins the 16-14 lead. The team wasn't done as a three by Bethany Daulton and a jump shot by Delaney Edwards allowed the Bruins to grab momentum as the team went on a run to end the first half leading 29-18 going into the break.
As the second half began, the two teams traded baskets but the Monarchs slowly began to chip away at the Bruins lead. After a three by Jazanae Billings, the Monarchs had battled back to trail 36-31. The Bruins hit right back as two-straight baskets by Kylee Leffew helped the team close out the third quarter strong to lead 43-33.
With just one quarter to play, the hometown team came out looking to mount a dramatic comeback. The Bruins had other plans as a basket by Tamrah Konieczka and another three-point bomb by Madison Shupe increased the lead 48-33.
The Monarchs came roaring back as they went on a run with the game nearing its end. Kadie Snipes hit a three for Methodist to cut the lead to 52-48 with just over two minutes to play. Another layup by Methodist made it a one possession game but the Bruins found the answer as Madison Shupe hit a jumper with just over a minute to play in the game.
A key turnover by the Monarchs on the next possession allowed the Bruins to get to the foul line where Gracen Ledford hit two clutch free throws to help the Bruins hang on to win 58-53.
"It was a good team effort," Coach LeViere said. "We keep having glimpses of how good this team can be and we just have to not beat ourselves with turnovers and reward ourselves for the hard work."
Madison Shupe was the only player in double figures but the senior had a big game with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. The team also got solid contribution off the bench from Jody Bates as the freshman scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Rebounding was a key stat for the Bruins in the game as the team won the rebounding margin 58-31 including grabbing 13 offensive rebounds.
Next up, the Bruins will return home on Tuesday night as they welcome Brevard College to the Davis Field House. Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.
