The Bob Jones University Lady Bruins basketball team continued its hot streak with a 54-49 win at rival Pensacola Christian College Feb. 7. The victory marked the Lady Bruins’ sixth consecutive win, including an impressive 10-2 record since Jan. 1.

The game certainly did not begin in the Bruins’ favor, as they fell down early by a 15-1 deficit. BJU could not find a basket against the Eagles’ aggressive man-to-man defense for the first eight minutes of the game.

Head Coach Mike LeViere’s squad never gave up and fought back within striking distance, scoring 22 points in the remaining eight minutes of the first half. Thanks to the hot streak led by junior guard Kendra Jeffcott, sophomore forward Sha’Ron Brunson and senior guard Maggi Ford, the Bruins trailed only 29-26 at halftime.

LeViere called Saturday’s game the “grittiest of the season,” and for good reason. The Bruins had to fight their way back into the game, despite the early shooting woes, and finally took the lead on a 3-pointer by junior guard Hannah Tompkins five minutes into the second half.

From there, the Eagles and the Bruins fought back and forth, but the interior presences of junior forward Brianna Delaney and senior forward Kourtney Hoefler defensively proved to be the difference for BJU.

Ford and Jeffcott provided the spark offensively for the Bruins, and the Eagles were unable to defend their home court, as the final score left the Bruins on top, 54-49.

The Lady Bruins swept the regular season series against rival Pensacola, as BJU dominated the Eagles by 20 points in PCC’s visit to the Davis Field House in January.

Brunson recorded 14 points to lead the Bruins while Ford and Jeffcott tallied 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Hoefler, Delaney and Jeffcott combined for 31 important rebounds, as they were able to limit the Eagles’ damage early in the game.

With this win, the Lady Bruins have improved to 15-11 overall, including six straight and 11 wins out of the last 13 games. The Eagles’ record fell to 12-13.