Madison Shupe scored her 1,000th career point to help lead the Bruins to a 68-62 road win over Toccoa Falls College on Monday night in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. Shupe became the fifth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone as she finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds to help the Bruins improve to 11-12 on the season and 4-2 in region play.
"We struggled shooting the ball in the first half but were able to do a lot of the other little things well," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "Toccoa played really well tonight and made some difficult threes to keep the game close."
The Bruins came into the game looking to climb back into the winning column as the team was in the midst of a three-game losing skid. The Screaming Eagles entered Monday's game at 7-19 overall having snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over Johnson University (FL) on Saturday. With just two games left in the regular season, the Bruins took the court looking to grab a road win.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Eagles traded baskets and the lead before Gracen Ledford and Shea Dickinson hit back to back threes to put the Bruins up 10-5. The Eagles came charging back as they closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles had grabbed momentum and they came out in the second quarter and increased their lead with a pair of free throws and a basket from Anna Montgomery. With their backs against the wall, the Bruins mounted a comeback thanks to Madison Shupe hitting back to back threes to spark a run and give the Bruins a 25-24 lead with just seconds to play in the first half. Khashahmi Smith hit a three as time expired for the Eagles to give Toccoa a 27-24 lead at halftime.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out strong as Delaney Edwards and Kylee Leffew scored to give the Bruins a 29-27 lead. Still, the Eagles continued to battle as they made key shots to again regain the upper hand. With just over a minute to play in the quarter, the Bruins again went on a run as a layup by Jody Bates and three by Jessiann Wiedmann helped the team close out the quarter with a 46-44 lead.
With just one quarter to play, it was still anyone's ball game. That is, until Madison Shupe hit a pair of threes and Shea Dickinson added another as the Bruins went on a 13-0 run to take a 59-47 lead. The Eagles came right back with a run of their own eventually cutting the deficit to 61-55 with just under two minutes to play. Madison Shupe again proved big for the Bruins as the senior made her fifth three of the contest to increase the lead and the Bruins held on for a 68-62 region road win.
"We're happy to walk away with a win here tonight," Coach LeViere said. "This was a hard-fought game for us and now we'll head back home and get ready for our last game of the regular season on Saturday."
While Shupe led the way shooting 50% from beyond the arc in her 17-point performance, Jody Bates also turned in a strong game with 12 points and 4 rebounds. Kylee Leffew and Delaney Edwards each scored 10 points in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will wrap up the regular season on Saturday afternoon as they welcome another region opponent in Trinity Baptist College. It's senior day for the Lady Bruins as they honor the five seniors on the team this season. Tip-off for the game is set for 2 p.m. at the Davis Field House.
