The Lady Bruins had their national championship hopes dashed on Wednesday night as the team fell to #3 seeded Grace Christian University 72-63 in the quarterfinals of the NCCAA DII National Tournament. Seniors Madison Shupe and Rachel Clark led the Bruins with 15 points each in the loss.
"Unfortunately we didn't play our best game and at this time of the year the teams are really good and you have to be at your best if you want to advance," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "Grace is a really good team. Statistically it was a really close game, but we just didn't do the little things well. I feel bad for our seniors. This was a time where we should have come out and played a better game."
The Bruins came into the game after the team won the NCCAA DII South Region Championship, earning their fourth-straight bid to the national tournament. Earlier this season, the Bruins faced the Tigers with the Bruins taking a ten-point lead at halftime before Grace Christian rallied in the second half to win 62-53. A trip to the final four was on the line as both teams took the court.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Tigers went back and forth with BJU getting a boost from Rachel Clark and Kylee Leffew as the team led 6-5. That back and forth continued throughout the quarter with neither team able to build more than a one possession lead. Madison Shupe gave the Bruins a boost as she hit a shot in the key and then hit a three at the buzzer to help the Bruins lead 18-14 at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Bruins shooting went cold and the Tigers took advantage as they went on an 14-0 run to take a 31-21 lead. Madison Shupe finally stopped the bleeding with a three, but it took the Bruins over five minutes to score in the second quarter. Still, the team tried to claw their way back into the game as Rachel Clark hit a three to cut into the lead. The Tigers answered right back as they took a 40-28 lead into halftime.
Kylee Leffew and Madison Shupe opened the scoring for the Bruins to begin the second half, but the Tigers matched the Bruins with each basket as they pushed their lead to 48-33. With their backs against the wall, the Bruins needed a spark and found one from Shea Dickinson as the freshman made back to back shots. Gracen Ledford then hit a three to cap an 8-0 run as the Bruins looked to get back into the game. The Tigers were able to hit a three with just seconds remaining in the third quarter as they led 60-47.
With one quarter to play, the Bruins hoped to come out and complete the comeback. Madison Shupe and Bethany Daulton hit back to back threes to cut the lead to 62-55. The Bruins had grabbed momentum but the Tigers took it right back with back to back layups as they pushed the lead to 66-55. From there, the Bruins tried to climb back into the game but the Tigers wouldn't be denied as they held on to win 72-63.
"Coming off of regionals, we didn't want that to be our stopping point," Bruins senior captain Kylee Leffew said. "We really tried tonight and did what we could but in the end we just came up short."
Madison Shupe and Rachel Clark carried the Bruins offense as the pair combined to hit seven three pointers in the game. The Bruins shot 42% from the field and 37% from three point range. Rebounding was a key differentiator in the game as the Tigers out rebounded the Bruins 37-28, including scoring 12 points off second chances.
With the loss, the Bruins will move to the consolation rounds of the tournament. The team will play against #7 Champion Christian College with the tip-off set for 1 p.m. (EST).
