M'lani Vitela scored a season high 32 points, and Kirsten Joseph drained two free throws with 5 seconds left to force the Bruins to need a three to tie. The defense, however, did not allow the shot to happen, and TCJ Eagles Women's Basketball held on to defeat the South Region rivals from Bob Jones University 66-63.

With 5.1 seconds left, Joseph drew a foul, and with Trinity in the bonus, she went to the line. Joseph hit both shots to extend the lead from 1 to 3 at what became the final score.

[Kirsten Joseph sank two crucial free throws with 5 seconds left.]

Bob Jones called timeout and advanced the ball to the front court. Following the inbound behind the mid-court line, Desiree Greene deflected the ensuing pass away from BJU's best three-point shooter and into the hands of Alexandra Perez, who secured the ball as time expired.

Desiree Greene's free throw with 59 seconds left made the score 64-62, and BJU's Faith Hayward hit 1 of 2 foul shots with 37 seconds left to pull the Bruins to within 1 before Joseph went to the line. Both Joseph and Jaedin Houston pulled in crucial defense rebounds in the final minute to keep Bob Jones from getting second changes to tie or take the lead. 

Vitela scored 14 points in the first quarter and 11 in the fourth. She totaled 12 field goals (3 threes) and 4 foul shots in 6 attempts to compile her career high of 31 points.

[M'lani Vitela scored a career high 31 points in the win on Monday.]

Bob Jones sank the first basket, and Trinity then scored 14 consecutive points, 9 from Vitela. Caroline Smith got a layup and a free throw to cap the big run. Trinity led 21-10 after the first quarter and 32-24 at halftime. They reached a 13-point lead late in the second quarter, and the Bruins scored 5 straight to end the period. 

The Bruins outscored Trinity 23-17 in the third as Anna Layne Wilder, Caitlyn Dickerson, Jenna Brooks combined for 4 threes in the period; BJU hit 9 threes overall. Hayward and Savannah Taylor hit jump shots that completed the comeback at 44-44. Wilder's third three-pointer of the night gave BJU its biggest lead at 47-44. Trinity regained the lead on a Perez layup to close out the third ahead 49-47.

The teams traded leads four times early in the fourth, and Vitela's layup with 7:29 left gave Trinity a lead they would not relinquish again. They went ahead 62-57 with 3:03 left before the excitement at the end. 

Joseph and Smith each scored double digits in different ways. Joseph was 4 for 10 from the field and 3 for 4 at the line, including the game-clinching free throws in the final seconds, to total 11 points. Smith scored 6 at the line in 9 attempts and added a pair of layups to amass 10. Greene finished with 7, and Perez contributed 6 crucial points.

Wilder, Brooks, Hayward, Imani Pouncy, and Keely Price each scored 9 points to lead the Bruins. Wilder hit 3 three-pointers, and Brooks hit 2. 

The Eagles will visit Trinity College of Florida for a 12:00 noon tip-off on Monday, January 19. Three home games will follow to close out the month: Beacon College, Paine College, and Southeastern Baptist College all come to Trinity on January 24, 26, and 31, respectively.