DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kailyn Williams posted a double-double effort of 12 points and 14 rebounds as Bethune-Cookman defeated Howard, 61-53, in MEAC women's basketball action inside Moore Gymnasium on Monday evening. For the Wildcats, the win marked their fourth consecutive in league play.
With B-CU (8-12, 5-3 MEAC) trailing 8-7 early-on in the first half, Kailyn Williams began an 8-0 Lady Wildcats run with a driving layup, followed by baskets from Kayla Crawford, Lyndsey Edwards and Emily Williams, giving the Cats a 15-8 lead just over the midway point in the half.
After Howard (2-17, 2-4 MEAC) closed to within 23-21 with 3:11 remaining in the stanza, the Wildcats would close the half on a 10-2 run, aided by five points from Jasmine Knowles, giving the homestanding Lady Cats a 33-23 advantage at the break.
In the second stanza, B-CU extended the lead out to 43-26, using Kendra Cooper's floating jumper from the left side with 15:25 remaining in the contest. The lead swelled to 19 when Terrenisha Hollis connected on two of her 13 points on the night, as B-CU led at 47-28.
With the Lady Wildcats holding the lead in the 20s for much of the latter stages of the final half, Howard used a three-pointer from Sydni Johnson, and added four free throws from Imani Bailey to close the game at 61-48 with just over a minute remaining.
In fact, Bailey scored the final 12 points of the game for the Bison, cutting the final score to 61-53.
Howard was led by three players in double-figures, including Bailey with 15 points and six assists. She was followed by Johnson with 14 points, while Victoria Gonzales added 12.
As a team, B-CU shot 54.3 percent from the field, including a near record-setting 70.6 percent in the second half.
The Lady Wildcats were led in the scoring column by Jasmine Knowles with 15 points, followed by Hollis with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hollis added two assists, two blocks and three steals. Kailyn Williams added 12 points and 14 boards, posting a game-high six blocks and two steals. Also reaching double-figures was Cooper with 10 points, four assists and two steals.
Bethune-Cookman returns to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 31, traveling to Florida A&M for a MEAC showdown scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
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