The Bob Jones University women's basketball program drops to 5-5 on the season after falling 72-52 to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Shea Dickinson led the Bruins with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists on the night.
"This was a much improved performance from Tuesday evening," said Head Coach Mike LeViere. "We faced an extremely talented team in Johnson & Wales. They are maybe the most skilled team we will face all year. We had a lapse in the first half and almost let it get away. We then clawed our way back by playing great defense and rebounding. In the 2nd half we just couldn't overcome all of our mistakes. The team worked super hard and our defense was the best it has been all year, but we just hurt ourselves with turnovers."
The Bruins came into the Thursday night contest following a loss to Brevard College at the Davis Field House. The Wildcats entered the game 5-3 on the season after a big Sunday win over Apprentice School.
From tip-off, the Wildcats got off to an early lead but a jump shot from Shea Dickinson saw the Bruins on the board. As the Wildcats began to pull ahead, the Bruins got back within two points thanks to a three-pointer from Tamrah Konieczka followed by a layup from Shea Dickinson. At the end of the first quarter, BJU saw themselves down 21-9.
In the second quarter, the Bruins worked hard to catch up to the Wildcats outscoring them 15-8. Heading into halftime, Bob Jones was down by just four points.
After the break, the two teams exchanged baskets throughout the third quarter with Shea Dickinson going two for two from the arc. At the end of the third quarter, it was JWU on top 45-36.
Tamrah Konieczka hit a three-pointer at the beginning of the final 10 minutes to cut the Wildcats' lead down to nine points. JWU then extended their advantage with a six point run. The Bruins continued to battle, but fell short as the game ended with the Wildcats on top 72-52.
"I feel bad when the ladies work as hard as they did and then we don't reward ourselves for the hard work," said LeViere "But this was improvement from Tuesday and that is what we are wanting: improvement each day."
The Bruins shot 88.9% from the free throw line, were 31.7% from the field, and saw 50 rebounds in tonight's contest.
Up next, the Bruins are back home at the Davis Field House on December 15 to close out the 2022 year against Pfeiffer University.
