DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Adrien Coleman posted a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds as Bethune-Cookman won its third straight with a 72-58 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Savannah State Monday.
It was the second consecutive double-double for Coleman, a 6-5 junior as the Wildcats (12-16 overall, 7-6 conference) concluded their home schedule by winning three consecutive games for the first time this season.
Javoris Bryant scored 13, Kevin Dukes 12 and Malik Jackson 10 for the Wildcats, who made eight of their first ten shots of the second half t o pull away from a 28-26 halftime lead. B-CU led 55-38 on two Dukes free throws with 8:42 remaining.
Savannah State (17-11,10-3) closed to 67-56 with 1:11 remaining on a Rashad Hassan three-pointer, but the Wildcats scored five unanswered points on free throws to seal the win.
Hassan and Preston Blackman each scored 14 for the Tigers, who had a five-game winning streak snapped.
HEAD COACH GRAVELLE CRAIG
"Our zone bothered them. They [SSU] don't shoot well from outside but they are very good driving to the lane and offensive rebounding. We packed it in and tried to make it tough. We were going to live with them making threes. We switched up man and zone. We pressed well early."
"Malik [Jackson] has been playing well. I give him the green light. He is our offense off the bench. He is aggressive and can stretch the defense. Javoris is big too with his mid range shot. He is finding his rhythm."
"Its about momentum. We want to ride it into the tournament. Teams that win the conference tournament is the team that ride it into the tournament. It also builds confidence."
"We opened up and really pushed in transition. They [SSU] are tough to score on in a half court and slow down game."
ADRIEN COLEMAN
"It was a big game for our team. My teammates always tell me that if, I play well they are right behind me. They give me confidence. When I do, it shows as a team."
"We really started buying in defensively as a team. Coach said that if we play defense we could beat anybody in the conference."
"We played more aggressively on defense. We even finished opportunities this time. We also made free throws."
KEVIN DUKES
"We always want to start off hot in the second half. We usually start it slow. Our focus is to start the second half with energy, intensity and make easy transition baskets."
JAVORIS BRYANT
"Coach emphasize how big it will be in the post. Me and Alex (Smith) take it personal to compete with their bigs and make their bigs uncomfortable."
NOTES: B-CU had a season-high 24 free throws ... The Wildcats have now committed less turnovers in eight consecutive games ... B-CU now 10-2 when it has 35 or more rebounds ... Coleman now has 14 career 20 point games and eight career double-doubles ...B-CU is 4-1 when he makes seven or more free throws ...B-CU concludes February with a 4-2 mark and its home slate 9-4 overall and 6-2 MEAC ... B-CU moved into a tiefor fifth place in the MEAC with Delaware State, but the Hornets hold the tiebreaker.
