HAMPTON, Va. - Anticipated as a high-scoring affair, the Bethune-Cookman Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball contest versus the Hampton Lady Pirates played out more like a defensive wrestling match on Monday night at the HU Convocation Center in a 43-35 loss to the Lady Pirates.
The Lady Pirates (7-3, 2-0 MEAC) came out of the gate firing, racing out to a 25-4 advantage over Bethune-Cookman, as the Lady Wildcats (2-7, 0-2 MEAC) went 9:33 without a score. As Shakeyia Colyer and Alea Godfrey breathed life into the Lady Wildcats with scores in the paint, the Lady Pirates stopped cold, scoring just a pair of free throws across the final 6:45 of the half, which allowed B-CU to carry a 13-2 run into the break.
Despite trailing by as many as 21 points, B-CU narrowed the lead to 27-19 at halftime.
The game remained a defensively-contested game well into the second period, as the teams combined for just 12 points through the first 11 minutes of the second period.
With B-CU clawing back into the game, Hampton senior guard Nicole Hamilton collected steals on three consecutive possessions, earning two layups for herself on the fast break, and another for Malia Tate-DeFreitas, granting the Lady Pirates some breathing room.
Hamilton put an exclamation point on the run with a hit from behind the arc, but again the Lady Wildcats battled back, slicing nine points off the deficit thanks to three blocks and four steals in the final seven minutes. However, the Lady Wildcats fell short in the 43-35 loss.
After falling to Hampton 74-28 in their last meeting, Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was impressed with the defensive showing.
“For our girls, it was a matter of playing hard and playing with pride,” Blair-Lewis said. “Last year, we got beat by 47, and this year we didn't even allow them to score 47. Sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win, you really lose. Tonight there was a lot of winning that came out of this loss.”
The Lady Wildcats held Preseason MEAC Player of the Year Alyssa Bennett to just two points, despite her 19.6 point per game average. However, Hamilton and Tate-DeFreitas carried HU, scoring 16 apiece.
The biggest showing for the Lady Wildcats came from redshirt freshman Kailyn Williams, who showed great defensive prowess to impact Bennett's game, logging not only a career-high 12 rebounds, but also a career-best seven blocks; tied for the seventh best block performance in program history.
“I don't think she looked like a freshman out there tonight,” Blair-Lewis said, “she really looked like a seasoned veteran. We knew that Bennett was going to come to us, as far as penetration, and [Williams] did what she really does well; she blocks shots and changes shots.”
Making her biggest move in the second half, Chastity René Taylor scored 10 points to top the scoring effort. However, Colyer was the most versatile component for the Lady Wildcats, scoring eight points, with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Lady Wildcats return to action at home on Sunday (Dec. 15) as B-CU hosts Jacksonville at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
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-B-CUathletics.com-
