The Bruins women fell to the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors by 26 points on Tuesday, Feb. 18, with a final score of 80-54.
BJU led during the early parts of the game, but the Warriors used several scoring runs to put the Bruins in a 40-26 hole at halftime.
In the second half, the Warriors stepped on the gas and left the Bruins behind. The scoreboard read 80-54 at the final buzzer. Sophomore guard Kendra Jeffcott led BJU with 19 points.
“They were what we were expecting,” Jeffcott said. “The big difference in scoring was just the way we played. It was just a rough game for us.”
The men’s game against Southern Wesleyan immediately followed the women’s game, but the results were the same. The Bruins men were hoping to exceed .500 against rival Southern Wesleyan, but fell short, losing 93-82.
The Bruins pulled off a dramatic victory against the Warriors in their last meeting, but BJU was unable to overcome Southern Wesleyan on the road.
“We missed a lot of easy layups in the first half and got in a big deficit to start out the game,” sophomore forward Kyle Turner said. “We also didn’t quite have the same intensity and focus on the defensive side.”
The Warriors were able to split open the Bruins’ defense throughout the evening. But the Bruins didn’t give up, pushing to the end. Despite Larry Taylor’s 34-point effort, the Bruins were unable to cut the deficit, falling to the Warriors 93-82. Both teams’ seasons are winding down with only a few games left on the schedule.