March 8, 2011
Final Stats
By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
WINSTON -SALEM, N.C. - Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Vanessa Blair called the 2010-2011 season that ended with Tuesday's 62-52 loss to South Carolina State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament as one that was "historic."
"Not in the way we want to remember, though," Blair said.
A year of injuries and tribulation ended with the Lady Wildcats down to seven players for their final game. The setbacks started with losing Jalisa Isaac in the preseason, Demetria Frank after seven games, the day-to-day bumps and bruises and finally Amanda Hairston in the regular season finale.
"It's proved to be trying," said Blair, whose Lady Wildcats finished 13-17. "They played as long as they could as hard as they could and I'm proud of them for that."
Tuesday belonged to S.C. State's Whitney Wiley, who scored 16 of her game-high 19 in the second half as the Lady Bulldogs (12-16) earned the right to face top-seeded Hampton in Wednesday's quarterfinals. Wiley went 10-11 from the line.
"Wiley got hot and it's tough to hold great players down," Blair said of Wiley. "We were limited. Our substitution pattern didn't allow our players to get the rest they needed."
B-CU cut a 42-31 deficit to 45-43 on Cleniece Roberts' lay-up with 8:05 remaining, but Wiley finished a three-point play that started a 7-0 SCSU run that gave the Lady Bulldogs a nine-point lead. A Jasmine Elum 3-pointer brought B-CU back to six, but Wiley finished another three-point play, and SCSU maintained an 8-10 point lead down the stretch.
In the first half, B-CU's 1-3-1 zone created early success. SCSU made just two of its first 11 shots, and a strong start by senior Sarah Bolden gave the Lady Wildcats a 17-9 lead with 9:27 remaining in the opening period.
SCSU took a 20-19 lead on a Paris Alston basket with 4:20 remaining and went into the locker room ahead 26-23.
Bolden led B-CU with 16 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Roberts, Elum and Jasmine Bugg each added 10 points.
"It was a tough season," Bolden said. "But it was my senior year. I wouldn't trade it."
