February 6, 2008

 

                Bristol, VA—The Lady Lions team that took the floor against the Virginia Intermont Lady Cobras on December 8th was not the same team that took the floor Wednesday evening. Yes, there are a few faces missing from the Lions’ bench these days with the departure of Ashley Gray and the loss of Hillary Tipton to injury, but the real difference is the confidence with which the Lions are now playing. After struggling through the month of January, Bryan had rattled off four straight wins heading into the contest and had proven themselves a dangerous opponent for the league’s top teams at this point in the season.

                The Lions got out to a fast start, shooting 54% in the first half behind strong performances from Becca Morris, Courtney Swanson and Katie Davis. Swanson had 12 of her game high 16 points in the first half. Morris also had 16 points on the night, 9 of which came in the first half of play. As the Lions headed into the locker room at half time, they held a 10 point lead, 45-35.

                The Lions cooled down from their torrid first half to shoot 32% in the second half, but they were able to hold the Lady Cobras to less than 40% shooting and even extend their lead to 19 early in the second half. Bryan held onto their large lead until late in the ballgame when Intermont made a run, but 2 points was as close as they would get. Bryan hit free throws down the stretch to push the final score to 80-72.

                Reigning AAC and NCCAA Player of The Week Katie Davis had another great night for the Lady Lions, contributing 13 points and 11 rebounds while dishing out 4 assists. Jessica Southern scored 8 of her 11 points in the second half as Bryan saw four players score in double figures yet again. The Lady Lions have been getting much better offensive production lately with Davis handling the ball and solid contribution coming from their entire lineup.

                Head Coach Jamy Bechler was happy to pick up another conference victory on the road: “We shot the ball really well in the first half which enabled us to get a lead.  We picked up where we left off to start the second half, and got the lead up around 19 or 20.  However, V.I. is a good team with a lot of talent and they were able to come back and bring the game to within a basket late in the game.  I am proud of the way our girls handled the press and hit free throws down the stretch.  Becca really got us going at the start with a couple of quick three’s when she came off the bench.  The girls really responded on the boards.  Jessica and Katie did a good job rebounding all night.  Courtney was solid down low in the post and played one of her better overall games this year.  Lauren Copeland also sparked us in the first half with a number of rebounds and scores from the low block.”

The team will now shift its focus to Saturday afternoon when the Milligan College Lady Buffaloes come to Summers Gymnasium looking to complete the season sweep after a 74-72 victory over the Lions in Johnson City on January 9^th. Tip-Off is set for 5:30 PM.