Division rival, Pensacola Christian College were hosted by the BJU Bruins Friday night for the 28th meeting between the two women's basketball programs. The Bruins played tough game and kept it close the whole night, but fell short 74-66.
The crowd was rowdy and electric for the big game between rivals Pensacola and Bob Jones. At the tip, the Bruins won, but failed to convert on their first possession giving the Eagles a chance to get the scoring started and they did. The Eagles would get off to a 7-0 lead before the Bruins converted a layup and three-pointer to get themselves started. With 4:36 left to play, the Eagles had built themselves up an eight-point lead, but the Bruins whittled it down until the end of the first quarter to trail 17-14.
A little over two minutes into the second quarter, Annie Miller got the Bruins started with a three-point shot and then thirty seconds later gave the Bruins a layup. The defensive battle made it a challenge for the Bruins to keep pace which made the bench player that much more important. PCC was able to get several shots to fall which gave them an eight-point lead five and half minutes through the quarter. Bria Dickinson got the Bruins back into it with a three-point shot to cut the Eagles lead to five. After the full 20 minutes, the Bruins trailed the Eagles 34-29.
Coming out of the half, the Bruins struggled to get any points on the board. The first four minutes, the Eagles went on a 9-0 scoring run before Annie Miller was able to break the drought with a three-pointer. Anna Layne Wylder helped get the Bruins back into it with a three-pointer of her own to cut the score back down to eight. The final couple minutes of the quarter ended with the Bruins trailing 50-43.
With ten to play, the Bruins opened the quarter with a three ball by Catherine Skebo. The Bruins continued to battle it out, still trailing for the first five minutes. Anna Layne Wylder stayed hot while keeping the Bruins not far behind still trailing 63-55. The comeback fell just short as the Bruins couldn't keep up at the end. The Bruins dropped another close one 74-66.
"It was a frustrating game tonight due to the fact that we beat ourselves by not making our free throws or finishing at the rim," began Head Coach Mike LeViere. "Our defense struggled as well, which is a shame considering how we shot the ball from three-point range. It's frustrating, but promising knowing that we can compete with top ten teams even if we don't have to play perfectly."
Up next, the Bruins have a short turnaround before they're back on the court. They take on New College of Florida Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in the Davis Field House.
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