Nov. 27, 2006
Daytona Beach, Fla. -
Bethune-Cookman College held off a scrappy Warner Southern College squad on Monday night in an exciting men's basketball contest with an 80-72 victory at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Warner Southern's Brandon Hamilton nailed a jumper from the right wing that capped a 6-0 run for the visiting NAIA member Warner Southern Royals (3-1), and brought the visitors from Lake Wales, Fla. to within two points (59-57) with 9:03 left in the game. The Royals used teammates Alex Castillo and Marco De La Cruz assisted on the run as well.
Bethune-Cookman (2-1) showed great poise and determination down the stretch as Josh Cummings and Jimmy Hudson hit some big points to put the `Cats back up by seven (64-57). Kevan Creppy's dunk with 2:27 left in the game put the `Cats back out by double-digits at 12 points (74-62) and allow the Wildcats to win their second contest of the year--both against non-Division I foes (Warner Southern and Florida Tech).
The Royals of WSC were not to be taken lightly on this night as they ran out to a lengthy 15-3 advantage less than five minutes into the game. The guard-heavy rotation of Preston Adams, Maurice Johnson and Brandon Hamilton seemed to give the `Cats fits right from the start of the game.
Adams' three-pointer with 15:01 left in the first half put the Royals out in front 15-3. The Wildcats didn't score their first field goal of the game until Sam Barber--returning from injury to play in his first game of the year, made a spinning lay-up in the lane with 14:21 showing on the first half clock.
Johnson and Adams kept the `Cats at bay for most of the first half, but newcomer Dewayne Pettus helped to bring B-CC back down the stretch. Pettus, shooting a dismal 3-for-28 through the first two games of the year, turned on the heat for an already warm Florida evening in winter, as he scorched the Royals for 15 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Cummings' three-pointer [his only three-point basket of the game] with 5:38 left in the half gave B-CC its first lead of the game at 25-24 ... a lead they would never relinquish the rest of the way. The only scare came from an Errol Porteous lay-up that tied the game at 25-25, but that was quickly escalated back out to a four-point Wildcats advantage when Kenyan Alston hit his first three-pointer of the year to advance the Wildcat advantage out to 28-25.
The `Cats rolled of an impressive 18-5 run to end the half, and give B-CC a decisive 43-30 lead at the break.
Warner Southern was led on the night by three Royals in double-figures. Hamilton led all scorers with 17 points and six rebounds, while Adams added 15 points. Johnson poured in 11 points and Castillo pitched in 10 points of his own.
Bethune-Cookman was led in the game by Pettus' game-high 20 points on a sizzling 7-for-8 performance from the field. But it may have been Jimmy Hudson that had the best game of all with 19 points, four rebounds and a game-high seven assists [one turnover]. The only other Wildcat in double figures was Creppy with 11 points and nine rebounds, just shy of the first double-double of his career.
Bethune-Cookman will now get ready for their first conference game of the year on Saturday as they travel to the capital city of Tallahassee to tangle with the Mighty Rattlers of Florida A&M University at 4 p.m. inside venerable Gaither Gymnasium.
