The Bruins may have started off slow, but they were never out of it. In a close matchup through the whole game, the Bruins came out victorious over the Golden Bears finishing 61-56.
From the tip, the Golden Bears took control and scored the first points of the game. The Bruins, while down several starters due to injury, stayed in the game not letting the Golden Bears take too big of a lead. Though it was a slow start, the Bruins were right behind the Golden Bears 12-7.
Going into the second quarter, the Bruins continued to struggle, but kept themselves in it. With 4:55 left in the half, the Bruins still trailed 21-13. A minute later, Bria Dickinson buried a three-point shot to cut the lead. With about 90 seconds left in the half, the Bruins started heating up as they cut the lead once again down 21-19. At the buzzer, the Bruins had cut the lead and made it a 23-22 game.
Coming out of the half, the Bruins started with the ball and were fouled which led to Katrina Tabora tying the game at 23 all. Once the Golden Bears got it, they scored a three-ball, but the Bruins quickly responded with one of their own. The Bruins and Golden Bears went back and forth for a few minutes, but the Golden Bears went up by a couple of possessions in the process. After several turnovers, the Bruins put up a couple of three-point shots to get themselves back into it. Golden Bears led 40-39 after three complete quarters.
To start out the fourth quarter, Beth Clark helped the Bruins take the lead off a layup. With 7:30 to play, the Bruins held a 45-40 lead. As the game continued, the Golden Bears started to catch up again and with less than two minutes to play, the Bruins held a slim 55-53 lead. Hallie Ritter extended the lead scoring from under the basket. She would then put the game on ice scoring a final free throw to make the final score 61-56.
"We're happy to get the win tonight," began Head Coach Mike LeViere. "That team, Clinton College, is a very young, scrappy, fast and that really stretches us. We started out slow and a little rushed and that's a credit to them. We didn't shoot great, but we shot well enough to keep in it during the second half. They led us in almost every category except bench points and that was really the turning point for us."
Up next, the Bruins have an exhibition at Southern Wesleyan University on Tuesday. The Bruins and Warriors will gear up for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off from Central, South Carolina.
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