January 9, 2008

 

     Johnson City, TN—The Bryan College Women’s Basketball team was looking to rebound on Wednesday against AAC opponent Milligan College on the road. After a hard fought road trip to Florida which resulted in three tough losses, the Lions returned home hoping to regroup and refocus as they head into the second half of the season.  The Lady Lions stood at 4-11 and had lost six games in a row coming into the contest. 

     With the loss of starting guards Hillary Tipton and Ashley Gray, Lions’ Head Coach Jamy Bechler was looking to his young team for someone to step up in a big way. That player stepped up Wednesday night, as Becca Morris had a breakout performance, scoring 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting to boost the Lions. “We’ve been waiting for Becca to break out this season, and tonight was it. She is a naturally gifted scorer, and she really shot the ball well tonight,” said Bechler. Unfortunately, Morris’ big night was not enough to give the Lions a much needed win, as Milligan had a big second half which carried them on to victory,

     Both teams struggled offensively in the first half with Milligan taking an 8 point lead into the locker room, 35-27. Bryan shot 35% from the floor in the first half while Milligan shot just 33% but went 13 of 16 from the free throw line to protect their lead at the break. The Lady Buffaloes got hot in the second half, shooting 56% from the floor and pulling away from the Lady Lions. Milligan did a great job of shutting down Lions’ leading scorer Katie Davis who finished with 11 points on just 4-of-11 shooting, but did grab 9 rebounds on the night. As the final seconds ticked down, the scoreboard read 77-63 as Milligan walked away with the 14 point victory.

     Morris picked up the slack for Bryan in the scoring column, and fellow freshman Jessica Southern grabbed 12 rebounds (10 on the offensive glass) to pace the Lady Lions on the boards. Freshman Point Guard KeKe Bean played a tremendous game defensively, limiting the offensive output of the Milligan guards, but the Lady Buffs really hurt Bryan in the paint. Milligan’s top 3 scorers were all post players; evidence of the Lady Lions struggles to defend in the post.

    Bechler spoke about the game, “We really need more consistency on the offensive end. We get great effort from different people on different nights, but we need our girls to bring it every time they step on the floor. When we do that, I believe we have the talent to win a lot of ballgames. Defensively, we need to work harder in the post. We can’t afford to give up easy buckets inside if we hope to win. I’m looking forward to getting back on the court and going after another victory on Saturday against Tennessee Wesleyan. I think our girls will be ready to play.”