The Bruins came roaring back to begin the second half as they cut into a double-digit deficit, but it wasn't enough as the team fell to Carolina Christian College 57-42 on Monday night in the Davis Field House. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 0-2 to open the season.

"We just couldn't get into any rhythm tonight," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "We had some flashes of good things, but overall we still struggled to take care of the ball and take good shots." 

The Bruins came into the game on Monday night on the heels of a loss to Covenant College on Saturday to open the season. The matchup against Carolina Christian would be the first ever between the two programs as both teams took the court. 

In the opening minutes, the Centurions jumped out to an early lead thanks to back to back threes from Erica Bass as Carolina Christian led 8-1. The Bruins struggled to maintain possession as turnovers turned into fast break chances for the Centurions. The Bruins were able to get to the foul line throughout the quarter, but trailed 15-8 as the first quarter came to a close. 

Gracen Ledford knocked down a three for the Bruins to begin the second quarter as the team looked to claw their way back into the game. The Centurions continued to keep the lead as they drove through the paint to make shots in and around the rim. 

With just over two minutes to play in the half, Jada Pickett scored in the paint to give the Centurions a 25-15 lead. The Bruins tried to answer back but couldn't find consistent offensive rhythm as the team trailed 30-19 at halftime. 

As the second half began, the Bruins stormed out with a 9-0 run thanks to a three from Gracen Ledford and back to back buckets from Delaney Edwards and Shea Dickinson. As a result, the Bruins trailed 32-28 and looked to keep up their momentum.

The Centurions answered right back witha 7-0 run of their own as they took the wind right out of the Bruins sails and kept the lead. Still, the Bruins continued to battle and remained within striking distance as the third quarter ended with the Centurions leading 41-32. 

With one quarter to play, the Bruins hoped to complete the comeback and come away with a win. The Centurions had other plans as back to back threes to open the quarter helped spark an 11-0 run. The Bruins were able to answer back as they attacked the rim earning trips to the free throw line as the team hoped to mount one last rally. Erica Bass then put the comeback hopes to rest with back to back baskets, including a three as the Centurions went on to win 57-42. 

"When we outrebound them and they still get twenty more shots than we had, it only means one thing and that is turnovers," Coach LeViere said. "We want to focus on the things we can control. Turnovers should frustrate us, and bad shots should frustrate us and we talk about not compounding one mistake with another. These are little things that we can control and we need to do a better job with those things as we move forward." 

Gracen Ledford led the Bruins with 16 points and 5 rebounds on the night while shooting a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Delaney Edwards had 7 points to go along with 14 rebounds in the contest as the Bruins outrebounded the Centurions 44-32 in the contest. The Bruins struggled shooting the ball as the team shot just 22% from the floor and 9% from three. 

Next up, the Bruins will welcome rival Pensacola Christian College on Friday night for their first South Region matchup of the season. Tip-off for the game is set for 6 p.m. in Greenville, South Carolina.