The Bruins women's basketball team capped off the 2019-20 season as the team defeated #7 Champion Christian College 62-59 in the consolation game of the NCCAA DII National Tournament. After the conclusion of the game, the NCCAA announced that the remainder of the tournament would be canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
"It was a great team effort," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "Our depth really helped us. Both teams played last night and then had to play again today and with us able to go ten or eleven deep helped us get back into the game. We were able to pull out the victory thanks to a great effort by our players. It was a gutsy performance."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough loss on Wednesday night as they fell in the quarterfinals to #3 Grace Christian University. While there nationals championship hopes were dashed, the Bruins hoped to close out the season on a high note as they took the court.
Madison Shupe knocked down a three to open the scoring for the Bruins as the team jumped out to a 7-4 lead. The Bruins were able to stand strong defensively and limited second-chance opportunities with good rebounding. Shea Dickinson knocked down a three to spark an 8-0 run for the Bruins as the team took a 19-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Bruins kept up the pressure and maintained their lead thanks to back to back baskets by Jody Bates and Gracen Ledford. The Tigers came right back as they relied on the inside scoring of Destiny Gonzalez to spark a run and cut into the Bruins lead. Still, the Bruins were able to maintain the upper hand as they led 32-27 at halftime.
The Bruins came out strong in the second half as Madison Shupe recorded a three-point play and Rachel Clark buried a three. The Tigers were able to stay within striking distance as both teams traded baskets. With five minutes left in the third, the Tigers hit a three to tie the game at 40-40 as Champion Christian went on a 12-2 run to eventually take the lead as the third quarter came to a close with the Bruins trailing 45-42.
The Tigers got back to back baskets to begin the fourth as they extended their lead to 49-43. The Bruins were able to mount a comeback as Madison Shupe hit a three and a jump shot while Gracen Ledford and Jessiann Wiedmann each hit three-pointers to spark a 10-0 run.
With under two minutes to play, Kylee Leffew hit a three as the Bruins led 59-54. Tiger's forward Destiny Gonzalez responded with a three and a layup as the game was tied 59-59.
Kylee Leffew again put the Bruins on top with a free throw as the team led 60-59 with just thirty seconds left in the game. The Bruins were in need of a defensive stop and found one as senior Rachel Clark stole a loose ball and calmly sunk both of her free throws. The last-second desperation shot by the Tigers was off the mark as the Bruins held on for a 62-59 win.
"Most teams don't get the opportunity to end the season on a win and we are happy for that," Coach LeViere said. "Obviously, we would have wanted to play another game, but understand with everything going on the reason for the decision made by the NCCAA."
Madison Shupe led the Bruins with 20 points and 5 rebounds in the game while Gracen Ledford finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. The Bruins also edged the Tigers 44-40 in the rebounding margin as the finish the season at 15-13.
Although the season has come to an end, there were many memorable moments over the course of the 2019-20 season. The team added two 1,000 point scorers to their program history (Kylee Leffew and Madison Shupe) and also won their second NCCAA DII South Region Championship.
