The Bruins women’s basketball team handily defeated the Clearwater Christian Cougars 62-33 in a lopsided basketball game Friday night.
A strong drive from Bruins freshman guard Kendra Jeffcott put the Bruins up 5-0 after a good early start. Another basket from Jeffcott made it 7-0.
Stifling defense from the Bruins and poor shooting from Clearwater kept the Cougars off the scoreboard, and the lead expanded when Bruins sophomore guard Trisha Irving hit a 3-pointer to put the Bruins up 11-0. Another 3-pointer from sophomore guard Bre Bullard gave the Bruins a 14-4 advantage.
The Bruins showed great determination to dominate the glass, and Jeffcott scored after four consecutive offensive rebounds by her teammates. Jeffcott forced Clearwater to call a timeout after she ran the length of the floor for an easy layup and a 25-7 lead.
A well-executed final play of the half resulted with a basket from sophomore forward Kourtney Hoefler. The Bruins held a commanding 32-13 lead at halftime.
Jeffcott and Bruins junior forward Kim Spiecker both had blocks in the second half as the Bruins kept up their suffocating defense. Clearwater went into a full-court press, but it presented little trouble for the Bruins as the women continued to score with ease. At one time, Jeffcott’s total number of points, 17, equaled Clearwater’s total score.
Spiecker drained a 3-pointer as the Bruins coasted to a 50-19 score. The Bruins never trailed, nor was the game ever tied. Jeffcott led all scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Hoefler finished with 14 points and an impressive 23 rebounds.
Coach Mike LeViere was pleased with the effort and discipline shown by the Bruins. “We stuck to our game plan and played it to perfection,” he said.
Bullard and Hoefler were surprised at how well the game began, especially because the Bruins have struggled with slow starts recently. Both players said the team knew they were better than their last couple of games have reflected, and they had a point to prove against Clearwater.
This was the Bruins women’s sixth victory of the season and their fourth win at home.
