DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats (6-13, 3-4 MEAC) scored a season-high 78 points in dropping Maryland Eastern Shore (3-13, 0-5 MEAC) for the third win in the last four games, delivering the 78-70 victory on Saturday afternoon at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
“We're having a lot of players stepping up at the right time,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said. “This is the third game in a row we've shot over 40 percent from the field, which was our Achilles Heel early.”
Although UMES' Breona Evans put the first points on a board in favor of the Lady Hawks with a pair of free throws just 64 seconds into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest, the Lady Wildcats were quick to respond in a big way. B-CU launched into a 14-3 run to take early command of the game, utilizing a powerful post presence.
However, freshman Kailyn Williams found herself in foul trouble early, affecting her style of play and opening the door for the Lady Hawks to rally, outscoring the Lady Wildcats 14-0 over a 4:39 stretch to reclaim the lead. The Lady Wildcats battled back, but UMES was resilient, first knotting up the contest and taking the lead once again. However, B-CU carried a 9-4 run into the break, leading 36-32 at halftime.
“When they took her out, they really did change the complexion of the game,” Blair-Lewis noted of Williams' limited minutes in the opening period.
With Williams back in the game in the second half, the two teams gutted it out, keeping the game to a single possession through the first five minutes of the second half. However, B-CU used the scoring effort of five Lady Wildcats to twice stretch the advantage back to double digits.
“I don't know if we ever put them away,” Blair-Lewis said. “We had a lot of defensive lapses when we got up and we didn't know how to sustain a lead. We put them on the free throw line 44 times, which allowed them to stay in the game.”
Although free throws allowed the Lady Hawks to remain within striking distance, drawing the B-CU lead down to just six points twice in the final minute, but the Lady Wildcats logged eight free throws and four field goals in the final five minutes to secure the 78-70 victory.
B-CU's 78 points were the highest scoring output of the season and the Lady Wildcats are now on the rise, winning three of the last four contests over the past two weeks.
For the third time in the last six games, point guard Shakeyia Colyer has led the scoring effort, tallying 24 points on 50 percent shooting, in addition to dishing out five assists. Over the course of the last six contests, the Sanford, Fla. redshirt senior has put up 110 points.
Chastity René Taylor made numbers, putting up 15 points, including 40 percent from three point range. Surging over the past four games, sophomore Taylor Houston was big in the second half, scoring a career-best 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, while grabbing eight rebounds.
Despite limited minutes, Williams continued her streak, notching her seventh consecutive game with a block. In fact, she had four against UMES, bringing her season total to 54, which ranks as the third best B-CU season blocked shots total. In just 20 minutes, the New Orleans redshirt freshman racked up seven points and eight rebounds.
The Lady Wildcats continue their four-game home stand at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at Moore Gym, as Howard (7-11, 3-2 MEAC) comes to town after a doubled-up drubbing in Tallahassee, falling to Florida A&M 87-42.
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-B-CUathletics.com-
