The Lady Bruins charged out to an early lead on Monday night and never looked back as the team went on to defeat Johnson University (TN) 65-52 to capture their third straight win and fourth in the last five games. Delaney Edwards led the way with 19 points and 6 rebounds while Jessiann Wiedmann had 13 points to go along with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals as the team improves to 4-7 on the season.
"We're playing good basketball right now but we aren't satisfied with where we are at," Bruins Head Coach Mike LeViere said. "I am really proud of the team and the way they have played. Our goal is to be better tomorrow than we were today and we need to continue to work hard and focus on doing the little things well."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of their first region win of the season on Saturday in a dominant victory over Johnson University (FL). On Monday, the Bruins welcomed the Royals who came into the game at 5-9 on the season. Last week, the two teams met up in Knoxville, Tennessee, with the Bruins coming away with a road victory 68-57.
From the opening tip, the Bruins came out strong as Delaney Edwards hit back to back shots to help the team jump out to a 9-3 lead. The Bruins defense stood strong in the opening minutes and forced the Royals into turnovers which opened up points in transition.
With just under two minutes to play in the quarter, Bethany Daulton knocked down a corner three to increase the lead 20-7. From there, freshman Brittany Williams gave the team a spark with a basket in the closing seconds as the Bruins led 22-7 after the first quarter.
The Bruins picked up where they left off to begin the second quarter as Delaney Edwards scored seven-straight points for the Bruins including hitting a three to increast the lead 29-11. The Royals tried to slow the Bruins but the team continued to work the ball to open shooters and converted on scoring chances.
Shea Dickinson gave the Bruins a boost going into halftime as the sophomore forward knocked down a three with just seconds remaining as BJU led Johnson 42-21 at the break.
The second half began much how the first half ended as Dickinson came out with another three to begin the scoring and increase the lead to 45-23. The Bruins continued to maintain their lead as the Royals attempts to get back in the game were answered with points for BJU. Again the team used a late three to close the quarter strong as Jessiann Wiedmann knocked down the long-range three to give the Bruins a 57-32 lead heading into the fourth.
With just one quarter to play, it looked as though the Bruins would run away with the game. The Royals had other plans and went on a 13-4 run to cut into the Bruins lead thanks to back to back threes from Tori Teesateskie. Despite the run, the Bruins held strong in the closing minutes, making key baskets down the stretch as the team went on to win 65-52.
"We're getting to where we want to be as a team," Coach LeViere said. "We need to keep carrying forward the good basketball. It doesn't matter who we are playing, we are going to measure ourselves against ourselves. We still have some things to work on going forward and clean up as we move forward."
Delaney Edwards and Jessiann Wiedmann combined for roughly half of the Bruins points on the night as the team shot 83% from the free throw line and 38% from the field. The Bruins also controlled the rebounding margin 36-28 which helped dictate the pace of play for the game.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home again on Tuesday night as they welcome Toccoa Falls College.
