The BJU Bruins women’s basketball team fell to the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors Thursday night 64-56.

The Bruins fell behind early in the conference matchup due to a plethora of turnovers, and they were never able to completely recover. This Bruins’ loss followed a tough win at home against Johnson University just two days previous, eliminating any momentum the team had heading into the middle of the 2014-15 campaign.

Even though the Bruins fell behind early and eventually trailed by 16 points early in the second half, they fought valiantly to stay in the game. Head Coach Mike LeViere said after the game, “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the win, but I am proud of our team for not giving up.”

The Bruins slowly clawed their way back into the game but weren’t able to catch up. Turnovers were a huge factor in the loss as the Bruins turned the ball over 31 times. “Our second half was much better than our first,” LeViere said. “Anytime we commit that many turnovers, it is going to be hard to overcome that and win. [There] are some simple things we can fix and do better that will change the outcome of the game.”

With this game, BJU’s record falls to 3-8 overall and 1-2 in conference. The win was only the Warriors’ second of the year as they rose to 2-4 after the victory.

Maggi Ford led the Bruins with 17 total points and three assists. Kendra Jeffcott recorded another strong game with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks, to go along with three steals. Captain Kourtney Hoefler represented a prominent threat for the Bruins in the paint as she pulled down 11 boards. Hoefler has recorded four games this year with double digit rebounds.

The Warriors were paced by 14 points from senior guard Bri Seda. Chelsie Waters and Cayse Branyon both recorded 13 points for SWU. The Warriors eventually secured the win by clutch shooting from the free-throw line and limiting their turnovers.