The BJU Bruins women’s basketball team recorded its third win of the 2014-15 campaign with a resounding 70-53 win over the visiting Johnson University Royals.
In the Bruins’ first game in 10 days, they were finally able to find the offensive output they had been lacking to end their recent three-game losing streak.
The Bruins fell behind early in the contest, but they quickly fought back before the Royals were able to pull away. Throughout the first half, the Bruins and the Royals juggled the lead back and forth.
The Bruins missed several easy layups, as neither team was able to build a significant lead. Johnson’s best opportunities in the first half came when they fed the ball into the post and were able to get easy baskets.
But once the Bruins eliminated the interior scoring threat, they began to build a lead. Going into halftime, the Bruins led 26-20.
The second half was a completely different story, as the Bruins quickly built a solid lead behind strong rebounding, timely shooting from the perimeter and converting from the free-throw line.
Throughout the latter part of the game, BJU took advantage of several Royals turnovers and converted many baskets in transition.
The Bruins also did a remarkable job on the offensive boards, recording a total of 23 offensive rebounds. Once the Bruins found the balance between interior offense and perimeter shooting, they never looked back. The Bruins Kendra Jeffcott dominated at both ends of the floor, as she led the Bruins with 18 points. The Royals Taylor Baham led all scorers as she recorded 21 points to go along with 8 rebounds.
Going into the contest, the Bruins knew that Baham posed a threat for Johnson in the post. BJU had trouble limiting Baham’s offense in the first half but was able to limit her offensive output in the second half.
Communication was key for the Bruins defense players as they fronted the Royals forwards in the post.
Jeffcott, a junior, became the Bruins’ MVP of the game, finishing with 18 points, three steals, three blocks and eight rebounds.
Senior captain Kourtney Hoefler recorded 10 points and an outstanding 17 rebounds in just her second game back from an early-season shoulder injury. As a team, the Bruins shot only 28 percent but converted from the free-throw line at 84 percent. The Bruins’ tough half-court man-to-man defense forced 10 steals.
The Bruins, now 3-7 overall and 1-1 in conference, next take on Southern Wesleyan University in central South Carolina. The game will count as a conference game.
