Brenau Basketball Drops Two Games
The Golden Tigers jumped out to an early 9-0 lead through hot shooting and good defense. Brenau shot a combined 62 percent in the first half, while holding Belhaven to 39 percent shooting to cruise to a 32-21 halftime lead. Junior Brittney Wiley (Royston, Ga.) and senior Nikki Reed (Atlanta, GA) both tallied nine points each at the end of the half.
The second half, however, was completely different as the Brenau offense cooled and the Belhaven offense came to life. Belhaven finally took the lead at the 35th minute and held on for the win.
Wiley's 24 points paced Brenau on 8-10 shooting (4-5 from 3 point range). Reed contributed a season high 15 points and seven rebounds.
Erika LaFlore's 14 points led Belhaven.
The loss brought Brenau's record to 5-4 (1-2) in conference.
The Tigers dropped their second game in a row, losing to William Carey University 63-55 on Saturday.
Once again, the Brenau jumped out to an early first half lead. This time, key bench players sparked the run. After back-to-back three pointers from junior Kaitlyn Fleming (Mt. Airy, Ga.) and freshman Myka Lightfoot (Riverdale, Ga.), the Golden Tigers took a 34-28 half time lead. Lightfoot's eight first half points are a career-high.
The second half, however, was doomed once again by cold shooting. Unable to shoot over 31percent in the second half, the Golden Tigers fought hard to keep the lead, but saw it slip away in the last six minutes.
Gabby Harvey's (Lilburn, Ga.) 16 points and 10 rebounds led Brenau. Harvey, the nation's third leading rebounder in total rebounds, notched her fifth double-double of the season.
William Carey was led by Crystal Tucker's 13 points.
The loss against William Carey University evens Brenau's record to 5-5. The Golden Tigers will take a break for final exams and then play Johnson and Wales University on Friday.
When asked about the weekend, Coach Kris Stewart said, "It really is unfortunate because we have played great first halves in both games. Our bench really played well also. We just cannot seem to get a basket when we need it. In both games, the other team hit big shots at the end of the shot clock, which is just so frustrating. We also have some injuries to overcome, but I am confident in this team."