The Lady Bruins are headed back to the NCCAA DII South Region Championship as the team defeated #6 Trinity Baptist College 70-45 in the semifinal round on Friday night. The team will advance to the region championship for a rematch of last season's region title game as they face #1 seeded Pensacola Christian College.
"We came in looking to enjoy the moment as a team and take care of business in playing our game," Bruins senior captain Kylee Leffew said after the win. Leffew finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. "Trinity is a tough team and we knew we were going to have to fight for every possession."
The Bruins came into the tournament as the #2 seed, securing an opening round bye. The Eagles came into the trounament as the #6 seed and upset #3 seeded Southeastern Baptist College in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinal round. The Eagles and Bruins met twice in the 2019-20 season with the Eagles winning both matchups.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins got a boost from their post players as Kylee Leffew and Delaney Edwards scored points in the paint to build a 6-0 lead. Another jumper by Leffew increased the lead but the Eagles began to find their rhythm as back to back baskets cut into the Bruins lead. As the first quarter came to a close, the Bruins led 11-7.
The Eagles continued to chip away at the lead and eventually tied the game in the second quarter after a three by Jaela Green. The Bruins then got a spark as Rachel Clark and Bethany Daulton hit back to back threes to spark a 16-0 run as the team led 31-17. The Eagles stopped the bleeding with a basket, but the Bruins took momentum into halftime with a 33-21 lead.
In the second half, the Bruins picked up where they left off as Gracen Ledford hit a three and Kylee Leffew made a layup to extend the lead. Defensively, the Bruins were able to force several turnovers and the team controlled the rebounding margin against the Eagles. As a result, the Bruins were able to use another run to push their lead to 51-33 as the third quarter came to a close.
The Bruins continued to stretch their lead thanks to a spark from Jessiann Wiedmann off the bench as the freshman knocked down a three to open the fourth quarter of play. After Wiedmann completed a three-point play on the next possession, the Bruins lead 59-38 and had seized momentum in the game. The Eagles tried to claw their way back into the game, but the Bruins continued to maintain the upper hand as they cruised to a 70-45 win.
"Even though our shooting wasn't great in the first half, we were able to play great defense and control the rebounding throughout," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "Doing those little things well allows us to still be in games even when our offense isn't clicking. I was proud of the team tonight. We know we are in for a tough battle against Pensacola for the region championship tomorrow but we are going to focus on the things we can control and come out ready to play."
Delaney Edwards led the Bruins with 16 points and 8 rebounds in the game while Jessiann Wiedmann finished the night with 11 points. The Bruins dominated the rebounding margin 42-25 in the game while forcing the Eagles into 21 turnovers.
Next up, the Bruins will compete for the DII South Region Championship as they face #1 seeded Pensacola Christian College. Tip-off for the championship game is set for 1 p.m.
