Jan. 9, 2010

Final Stats

Call WBB Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details - 386.481.2278

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Lady Wildcats dominated every facet of the game in Saturday's afternoon matchup with the Lady Spartans of Norfolk State. Shortly after the opening tip, B-CU gained the upper hand quickly. Riding on outstanding three-point shooting by Jalisa Isaac, B-CU jumped out to a 20-4 lead over NSU. They kept the energy high and never looked back, defeating NSU 79-61, led by Isaac with 26 points on the day.

The Lady Wildcats came flying out of the gate, holding the Lady Spartans scoreless for the first three minutes, while building a notable lead for themselves. Despite NSU's attempts to refocus and get into the game, B-CU turned the early lead into a 21-4 scoring run to open the game. The Lady Wildcats early attack allowed them to play with a comfortable lead, topping the Lady Spartans by double digits for the majority of the half. Although NSU rallied a few times, they never got within striking distance of the Lady Wildcats. B-CU went into the locker room with a 41-26 lead.

The Lady Spartans battled it out in the early part of the second half, but they couldn't keep down the B-CU scoring attack, which took off again near the midpoint of the half, creating a comfortable lead that floated around twenty. One of the best aspects of the game in each half for B-CU was that they never got too comfortable or let up. The Lady Wildcats continually made the right moves to stay in control of the game. B-CU led NSU by as many as twenty-three, but wrapped up the game with an eighteen-point victory, winning 79-61 as the final buzzer sounded.

The Lady Wildcats took the ball inside for the high-percentage shots, scoring 30 in the paint against NSU, but also took advantage of NSU miscues, scoring 22 off turnovers. B-CU also pushed the tempo in transition at times today, earning 12 points off fast breaks. Considering the amount time off, the Lady Wildcats performed to their potential in many aspects, shooting an improved 47.3 percent from the field (55.6 percent in the first half), outrebounded the Lady Spartans and recorded fewer turnovers, while also snagging a (tied for) season-high 14 steals.

In the loss, Norfolk State did have three players finish in double figures, led by Tyisha Bridges with 14 points. Meanwhile Batavia Owens led the Lady Spartans on the boards with 10 rebounds. The Lady Wildcats held NSU to just 35 percent shooting, but the most damaging defensive effort was in the first half, when NSU shot just 28 percent.

Leading the scoring attack for Bethune-Cookman, Euneshia Proctor (13), and Sarah Bolden (10). Bolden wrapped up her fourth double-double of the year, leading B-CU on the boards with 11 rebounds to match her double-digit scoring. Meanwhile, Frank took charge of the defensive effort, tying a career-high with 9 steals against NSU.

The Lady Wildcats, now 5-8 and 1-1 in MEAC competition begin preparing for Monday's home conference matchup with North Carolina A&T (6-7, 1-0 MEAC), the reigning 2009 MEAC tournament Champions.