The Bob Jones University women's basketball team opened their home campaign with a 63-62 loss to Columbia International University Tuesday evening in Greenville, South Carolina. With today's loss, the Bruins are now 1-1 on the season.
As today's game got underway, back-to-back buckets by Faith Hayward got the Bruins on the board early. Keely Price followed with a layup of her own to put the Bruins up 6-0 early in the first quarter. The Bruins maintained their advantage until CIU knotted the score 12-12 with just over two minutes left in the quarter. Caitlyn Dickerson hit a three-pointer in the final minute to give the Bruins a three-point lead with just over two minutes left in the quarter.
The Bruins struggled in the second quarter to get their offense rolling, and the team was outscored 15-5 to trail 27-20 heading into halftime.
After the halftime break, the Rams pulled ahead to an 18-point lead with just over half of the third quarter completed. The Bruins responded with seven straight points to cut down the deficit. A three-point basket from Hayward at the whistle ended the third frame with the Bruins trailing 47-37.
Price made several key buckets early in the fourth quarter to spark some offense and excite the home crowd at the Davis Field House. With 5:40 left on the clock, a layup by Kayley Trump put the Bruins back on top 53-52 over CIU. It remained close as the two programs battled for each point in the final minutes. The Rams went up by three with ten seconds remaining in the game. Caitlyn Dickerson was fouled on her three-point attempt. As she went to the line, she made two of her three free-throw attempts. As the clock hit zero, the Bruins fell 63-62 to Columbia International University.
Keely Price led the Bruins with a double double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Caitlyn Dickerson, Faith Hayward, and Kayley Trump also scored in double figures with 13 points each.
"There are two big positives from tonight's game. Our defense overall was great, and we competed like champions," said Head Coach Mike LeViere. "We started the game dominating the glass and executing offensively. We didn't always reward ourselves with made baskets, but we made good decisions and hustled. The second quarter was tough for us. We let them take some really good shots. In the third quarter we had some lapses and gave up some really good looks. CIU made shots, and we got down by 18. The competitive nature for us took over, and we didn't panic. The team did an awesome job at maintaining composure and concentrated on winning the next play. By the end of the fourth quarter, we had taken the lead. The Rams hit a big three to take the lead, and we still put ourselves in position to tie the game with two seconds left."
When speaking of his team and their performance, LeViere said, "Keely did an amazing job of fighting through some double teams and a rough night where I felt like she could have drawn even more fouls than were called. Kayley Trump had a huge game in things that matter but don't make the paper; five steals, eight rebounds, etc. Faith Hayward drew 11 fouls and was 80% from the line. Jenna was hounded all night and still managed to shoot a high percentage from behind the arc and had a key tip for an offensive put back. And hopefully Caitlyn Dickerson doesn't beat herself up for missing a free throw because she had a great night overall and that free throw didn't lose the game. We missed a lot of finishes around the rim. Any one of those could have one the game for us. Imani had huge minutes and was great defensively. Our team showed great heart and showed how good we can be. Our consistency is going to improve and the competitiveness will stay. This team can be really good. There are way more positive takeaways than negative, and we're only getting better from here!"
Up next, the Bruins travel to North Carolina for a Friday night contest at Montreat College.
