Virginia Beach, VA – After three straight games on the road, the Regent University Women's Basketball Team was finally back in the 757 as they hosted Bob Jones University for their home opener Friday afternoon. The Royals' freshmen have been settling into their roles on the court and in each game, they have shown significant improvement. In addition, the upperclassmen have been able to contribute and lead the way for a team that is much improved over last year. This afternoon was another opportunity for Regent to take a step forward and come away with win number one.
Freshman Eva Giannini (Avon, CT) and Junior My'Angel Carter (Toccoa, GA) got the Royals off to a strong start with two threes from Giannini and a layup by Carter, giving them the lead, 9-5. Carter continued to fight in the paint for the entire quarter, earning herself an offensive rebound and three free throws. With the fight of My'Angel and shooting ability from Giannini, the Regent was able to end the quarter with the advantage 12-8.
Carter continued her streak in the second quarter, with a post move to convert layup on the first possession. That was followed by Junior Shardae Williams (Fredericksburg, VA) who got herself going with a driving layup as the shot clock expired, which extended the lead to 16-8. The Bruins battled back though, trimming the deficit to three points, but Giannini answered with another jump shot from the corner after receiving a pass out of the post from Freshman Eliza Entzminger (Winterville, NC). The Bruins would go on another run to take the lead, but Freshman Kennedy Shipman (Virginia Beach, VA) was able to stop the run for the Royals with a baseline floater. Giannini then finished the quarter with a steal which led to a fast break layup, and as the teams headed into the half, Regent only trailed 30-26.
The Bruins began the third quarter, going on a 6-0 run that was eventually stopped by Freshman Amara Groth (Chesapeake, VA) with a mid-range jumper from the short corner. A few possessions later, Freshman Mikaylah Telfer (Chesapeake, VA) showed her hustle and grit, grabbing three offensive rebounds in one possession. Groth stayed hot in the quarter, hitting two more three-pointers, and Giannini would hit a huge three-pointer a couple feet behind the line as the quarter ended, cutting the Bob Jones lead to 50-41.
The fourth quarter saw the Bruins extend their advantage and unfortunately Regent could not mount a comeback and as the final buzzer sounded, they would fall by a final score of 72-46.
Giannini led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Carter added 11 points. In addition, Williams and Telfer controlled the boards, ending the game with 7 and 6 offensive rebounds respectively.
The Royals will be back in action tomorrow, November 22nd when they make the short trip down I-64 to face Virginia Wesleyan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.
