The Bob Jones University women's basketball team concluded the first half of their 2024-25 season with a 65-63 win over Welch College Saturday afternoon. With the win at home, the Bruins improved to 5-7 on the season.

The Bruins entered the final stretch of a three-game, three-day series at home where they hosted the Welch College Flames. Saturday's game marked the sixth meeting between the two teams. The last win for the Bruins against Welch came back in 2020. The two programs met a month ago in Gallatin, Tennessee where the Bruins dropped a close 62-60 loss to the Flames. 

"Welch is a really good, smart, experienced team and this was such a gutty performance with some real mental toughness by our team," said Head Coach Mike LeViere. "Playing less than 12 hours after returning to campus from a two-game road trip and having so many scrappy plays shows the competitive excellence we are looking for. Coming from behind and winning the game is just the exclamation point on that performance and sends us into the break on a great note."

As today's game got underway both teams went to the free throw line early where they both made their shots to get on the scoreboard. Both the Bruins and Flames kept the score close through the first few minutes. Halfway through the first quarter, Jenna Brooks sank two straight free throws to put the Bruins ahead 14-9. At the buzzer, Faith McClary's shot from outside the arc kept the Bruins in the lead 23-18. 

Through the second quarter, it remained even as both teams each tallied 12 points. At halftime, the Bruins and Flames went to their locker rooms with Bob Jones leading 35-30. 

After the break, Welch began chipping away at the Bruins lead. The Flames then went on a 12-0 scoring run to overtake the Bruins. 

Heading into the final quarter, the Bruins trailed 48-43. With just under six minutes remaining in the game, the Bruins still found themselves down by six points. Soon, Kayley Trump sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half. With 1:58 on the game clock, the Bruins regained a slight one point lead. They fought to hold on to their lead and finished the contest on top 65-63.

Anna Layne Wylder led the Bruins with 20 points as the team finished 47% from the field and 43% from the three-point line. 

Following the game, Coach LeViere said, "the exciting part is that we know we aren't where we are going to be. We are still a long ways from playing to our potential. I'm really proud of this effort and the gritty performance by our team. They are competing and learning to focus on the things we can control and not worry about the rest."

The Bruins will have several weeks of rest before they are back in action against Pfeiffer University in North Carolina on January 13 before hosting region rivals Pensacola Christian College in the DFH on January 17. 

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