The Bruins came up short on Saturday night as Carolina University rallied in the late stages of the game to snap the Bruins four-game winning streak 64-57. With the loss, the Bruins finish the regular season at 5-8 as the team prepares for the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament next week.
"We started out the game really well and followed our game plan," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "I was really pleased with our defense but we struggled shooting the ball and turnovers hurt us in the second half. That combined with our poor shooting led to us giving up the lead."
The Bruins came into the game having won five of their last six games including four in a row. The Bruins have met Carolina twice this season with BJU falling short in both games. The Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways and close out the regular season strong as the two teams took the court.
From the opening tip, the Bruins rode the shooting touch of Jessiann Wiedmann as the junior knocked down a three and a jump shot to help the Bruins jump out to a 7-4 lead. The Bruins maintained the upper hand as Gracen Ledford knocked down a three to help the Bruins close out the first quarter with a 15-14 advantage.
In the second quarter, the Bruins continued to extend their lead as the team earned trips to the free throw line. The team also played well defensively, forcing Carolina into tough looks and taking away second-chance opportunities.
After a jumper by Bethany Daulton, the Bruins led 21-14 as the team continued to hold Carolina at bay. With just minutes to play in the half, Gracen Ledford hit another three for the Bruins which sparked another run as the team led 33-22 at halftime.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to stretch their lead and put the game away. Delaney Edwards and Tamrah Konieczka each scored points in the paint as the team led 39-26 in the early minutes of the third quarter. Still, Carolina remained within striking distance and closed the third quarter on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 41-37 at the end of the third.
With one quarter to play, it was still anyone's ball game as the two teams took the court. Carolina kept up their momentum from the previous quarter as they stormed out with a 13-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and take a 50-43 lead. The Bruins tried to battle back as Delaney Edwards scored back to back baskets for the Bruins, but Carolina continued to find the answer offensively to maintain the lead.
Time wasn't on the Bruins side, but the team continued to battle as Delaney Edwards scored fourteen points in the fourth quarter alone to cut into the lead. With under two minutes to play, Edwards hit a jump shot in the paint to cut the lead 56-53 as the Bruins looked to fight back and get the win. Instead, Jada Sleet hit a three on the next possession and Carolina was able to hang on thanks to key free throws down the stretch to win the game 64-57.
"We definitely showed improvement from the first two times we played them," Coach LeViere said. "Our defense is getting better all the time while our offense is stagnant at times. We'll be better tomorrow because of today and will work hard to prepare for regionals next week."
Delaney Edwards finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Bruins while Jessiann Wiedmann scored 11 points and had 5 rebounds in the loss. The Bruins had 24 turnovers in the game which led to 23 points for Carolina.
Next up, the Bruins will await final seeding for the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament which will be announced near the beginning of next week.
