Bobcats Advance with 69-62 Win over Florida National

The Bryant & Stratton College women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the USCAA National Championship tournament with a 69-62 victory over Florida National University on Thursday.

One of three Bryant & Stratton campuses at the USCAA tournament, Rochester's team entered as the third seed on the heels of a 13-game winning streak. FNU presented a difficult test for the Bobcats early in the contest, keeping pace with BSC's offense in the opening minutes. First quarter defense has been a hallmark of the Bobcats' success in 2019-20, often stifling opponents and running out to sizeable advantages in the opening quarters.

Thursday's game didn't follow that same script, with the Conquistadors answering nearly every BSC basket in the opening two quarters. The Bobcats managed to take a slim, five-point lead into the half with an opportunty to build on it with a strong third quarter.

Build they did, outpacing FNU 24-15 in the third quarter alone, expanding their lead to 14 and putt themselves in the driver's seat for the first tournament win in program history.

FNU would answer, however, chipping away at Bryant & Stratton's lead throughout the final stanza. The Bobcat defense while not quite as dominant as they were during the regular season, held strong, salting away the 69-62 triumph. 

Dorian Sharp and Kadijah Jones led the Bobcats with 19 points each, with Jones grabbing 12 rebounds and Sharp pulling down 11. Sharp shot 9-15 from the field and provided a block and three steals in the game as well. Shanell Glove was a pivotal part of the attack for BSC, pulling down a game-high 13 boards and chipping in 15 points of her own.

The Bobcats move on to round two to face the winner of Bluefield State and University of Maine-Fort Kent at 12:00 on Friday.