Pensacola, FL — Heading into the half, the Lady Eagles trailed Bob Jones University by 16 points in a crucial conference matchup with potential postseason implications. The Lady Eagles overcame a slow-shooting 1st half and secured a 71-61 victory over the Lady Bruins. With the victory, the Lady Eagles moved to 14-10 on the season and 6-0 in conference play.

"We played flat in the 1^st half," Lady Eagles Head Coach Jared Sellars reiterated after the game. "We didn't play terrible, but Bob Jones is just a really good team."

This was not the first time that the Lady Eagles had come-from behind to defeat their conference rivals. On January 19th, the Lady Eagles trailed by 10 points at the half only to come from behind and secure a 1-point victory thanks to a last-second free-throw by Marlee Moore. The Lady Eagles came into the contest having won three in a row and five of their last six games.

Lady Bruins guard Sha'Ron Brunson got her team off to a fast start and helped them jump out to an early 12-2 lead in the ball game. The Lady Eagles slowly began to cut into the Bruins lead but ended the 1^st quarter trailing 17-11.

In the 2^nd quarter, the Lady Bruins three-point shooting proved to be the difference. Back-to-back three-pointers by Madison Shupe helped the Lady Bruins extend their lead. Despite a late push, the Lady Eagles would head into halftime losing by double-digits 42-26.

"We had a very focused halftime; we discussed some things that we wanted to do better in the 2nd half," Head Coach Jared Sellars said. "I told several of the players that they needed to step up a little bit if we wanted to get a victory."

The 3rd quarter was when the momentum would shift to the Lady Eagles for good. Junior guard Joy Smith, who had struggled to find her shot in the 1^st half, caught fire, scoring 10 points in the opening 4 minutes of the quarter. Her three-pointer with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter knotted the score at 42. The Lady Eagles defense stepped up in the quarter, leading to an impressive 31-2 run for the team. The Lady Bruins once double-digit lead evaporated, and the Lady Eagles would end the 3^rd quarter leading 57-44.

Despite the Lady Bruins best efforts in the 4^th quarter, the Eagles would cruise to an easy 10-point victory in this important conference matchup. The three-pronged attack of Marlee Moore, Jessica Boyd, and Joy Smith, who scored a combined 39 points, proved to be too much for the Lady Bruins. The team would go on to defeat Bob Jones University 71-61.

"The reason we came back tonight was our defense. Joy [Smith] and Lauren [Battle] really stepped up for us in the 2nd half." Head Coach Jared Sellars continued, "We told the girl's at the half that they wouldn't score 16 points in one possession; they needed to continue to grind to get back in the game. These girls did just that!"

Jessica Boyd led the Lady Eagles with 16 points while Joy Smith and Marlee Moore added 15 and 12 points respectively. The Lady Eagles next game will be on the road against Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, FL on Tuesday, February 13.