Bryan College Triangle

Justin M. Jones &
Sebastian Fischer

Senior guard Sara Barnett lines up for a shot in last night's game against Tenn. Wesleyan / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Wednesday night, the Lady Lions (12-9, 3-7 in AAC) suffered a devastating loss to the Tennessee Wesleyan (Athens) Bulldogs with an unsettling score of 65-35.

The Bulldogs (15-6, 8-2 in AAC) entered the contest as the odds-on favorite, currently being ranked 20th  in the NAIA DII and are leading the AAC.

About two minutes into the game, senior post Rochelle Davidson opened the scoring with a three pointer. The bar was set high for the Lions; a little bit too high that night.

Junior forward Morgan Burnette made her way down the court and scored  two for the Lions but Bryan was never able to catch up with the Bulldogs.  Wesleyan was simply superior in athleticism and size, which showed mostly on the glass. While Bryan had an overall of 32 rebounds, the Bulldogs recorded 54.

From start to finish the Bulldogs gradually widened their margin. At half time they were leading by 16.

Beginning the second half, the Lions entered the court with more energy; however, the Bulldogs kept dominating and were ahead with 44-22 seven minutes into the second period.

With five minutes left in the game, the Lady Lions showed some vital signs but the game was decided already and it was too late for a comeback.

Despite the outcome of the game, Coach Smith strongly believes in his team’s ability to perform.

“Our job as a coaching staff is to love our players, and it is the players’ job to love each other,” said Coach Smith. “That has been and will continue to be our number one objective.”

Senior center Sarah Newton lead the Lady Lions in scoring with 10 points; Burnette had seven rebounds.

The Lady Lions are currently ranked eigth in the AAC and play next in a conference game at Columbia (S.C.) College Saturday Jan. 28.

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Writer

Lose 57-74 on the road to conference powerhouse Tennessee Wesleyan College

The Bryan College women’s basketball team (7-1, 0-1 in AAC) suffered its first defeat of the season Wednesday night at Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens). Against the Lady Bulldogs (5-3,1-0 in AAC), who are ranked eighth nationally, the Lions looked like the stronger side in the first half, but were outplayed in the second period, losing with a final score of 57-74.

Coming to Athens undefeated, Bryan stepped on the court with confidence and went on a 14-6 run to start the game. Throughout the first half the Lady Lions dominated the match, pushing the lead to as much as 13 points and shooting a solid 0.455% from beyond the arch. Sophomore point guard Macy Kilgore led the scoring, recording 15 points for the game, all of them being three-pointers. Read full story »

The new women's basketball coach Jason Smith brings a fresh approach and much success to the Lady Lion's season / Triangle photo by Maddie Doucet

Ricky Angel
Guest Writer

The Women’s Varsity basketball team is off with a 7-0 start to their season. Success hasn’t been a familiar feeling for the women’s basketball team in recent years, but with new Head Coach Jason Smith and his fresh approach to the game, the Lady Lions are starting to find their rhythm.

“My first focus was changing the culture,” said Smith. “We have to change how we’re viewed on campus, in the community, and in the conference.”

Smith puts much focus on core values like responsibility and integrity on and off the field, and constantly challenges his players in those areas.

“We’ve got some really good chemistry,”said Smith. “The girls have really responded to the challenge.”

The team is currently ranked in the top ten in  the NAIA Division II in nine categories including two first place rankings in scoring margin (30.286) and field goal percent defense (0.279).

The difference between this year and the past few years, according to Senior guard Bethany McArthur, is an overall positive experience.

“We all play for each other, and everyone respects the coach,” she said. Read full story »

Senior Sara Barnett takes a shot at the basket / Triangle photo by Maddie K. Doucet

Shane Vicry
Triangle Reporter

The Bryan College women’s basketball team hosted Hiwassee College Tigers on Tuesday looking to maintain a perfect season. The Lady Lions proved to be simply in another class from their opponents, dominating from start to finish. The ladies pushed their spotless record to 4-0, cruising to a 91-26 victory.

After trailing early, Bryan responded with an 11-2 run which forced Hiwassee to take an early timeout trailing 11-6 at the 14:20 mark.

From that point forward, the visitors had absolutely no answers for the suffocating Lady Lion defense. Hiwassee got no good looks at the basket, forcing up airball after airball, and the Lion pressure constantly turned the Tigers over. Bryan would finish the game with a whopping 26 steals. Read full story »

Women's basketball hosted a Select team from the Dominican Republic on Monday that is touring the U.S. / Triangle photo by Chloe Pool

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Writer

The Bryan College women’s basketball team started its season Monday with a scrimmage against a select team from the Dominican Republic. Affiliated with the mission agency Score International, the Dominicans are touring the Chattanooga area, playing local teams. The Lions were tough competition for the visitors, but fell with a final score of 73-60.

According to Coach Jason Smith, who starts his first season at the helm of the Lady Lions, the goal of the scrimmage was to see all players perform in a game setting and “see what we got,” he said.

Smith was pleased with the individual performances of his players, but admitted that his team needs a lot more repetitions to fine-tune its game.

“I would like to have more time, but we don’t get that,” Smith said, talking about the preparations for the Lions’ first regular season game this Saturday at Oakwood College (Huntsville, Ala.).

“We will be ready come conference play at the end of November,” he said.

Bryan’s regular season home opener is scheduled for Monday against Tennessee Temple University. Tip-off is at 5.30 p.m.

[Triangle photos by Chloe Pool]

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