A tightly contested game between Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College remained within reach deep into the fourth quarter, but a late surge by PCC lifted the Eagles to a 71-62 win Friday night at Davis Field House. With today's result, the Bruins now sit at 4-7 on the season and 1-2 in region play.
As today's region rivalry got underway in Greenville, South Carolina, the Bruins got the scoring started with the opening basket coming early by Faith Hayward. The Bruins held the lead through the first six minutes. The two teams traded momentum throughout the opening frame, with neither side leading by more than a few possessions. With 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Faith McClary drained a three-pointer to put the Bruins within one of the Eagles at 19-18.
In the second quarter, the Bruins and Eagles continued to put together a back-and-forth effort. With 4:12 remaining in the second quarter, the Eagles pulled ahead to an eight point lead, their highest of the game, but the Bruins continued to battle and back-to-back buckets by Anna Layne Wylder in the final minute saw the Bruins trailing by just three points.
An opening layup by Keely Price followed by two made free throws by Hayward put the Bruins back on top with a slim 37-36 lead. The team continued to play well in the third frame, outscoring the Eagles 21-16 to briefly regain the lead. The Bruins shot efficiently during the period and carried a 54-52 advantage into the final quarter.
The game remained tight early in the fourth, but Pensacola took control down the stretch, holding the Bruins to just eight points in the final quarter. At the final buzzer, it was Pensacola on top 71-62.
Keely Price led the Bruins with 20 points and 14 rebounds, recording a double-double while shooting nine of 11 from the field. Jenna Brooks added 11 points, and Anna Layne Wylder chipped in 10 points and two steals.
Following the game, Head Coach Mike LeViere shared his thoughts. "As I told the team, outcome isn't as important as effort and execution. I felt like we had great effort and execution tonight, and it was a great improvement over our performance on Monday."
He continued saying, "that's what we were looking for. We've been practicing really well, and we told the team it had to start translating to games. It is starting to. The exciting thing is we're still going to get better. We're still figuring some things out, and the best is yet to come. We still have our best basketball in front of us!"
Up next, the Bruins will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina on January 20 to face off against Johnson & Wales University.
