LAS VEGAS – Jordan Potts scored a game-high 23 points, but Bethune-Cookman dropped an 83-70 decision to Stetson in the Continental Tires Las Vegas Invitational Thursday night.

Derick Newton (22 points, 11 rebounds), Brian Pegg (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Divine Miles (14 points, 11 assists) all double-doubled as the Hatters shot 65 percent in the second half and built a 51-37 lead with 15:55 left.

Bethune-Cookman (2-3) got as close as 55-49 on a Diamante Lewis lay-up with 11:19 left. The next sequence saw the Wildcat miss a chance to cut it to four and Stetson can a three-pointer to push the Hatter lead back to nine.

Another Lewis lay-up with 9:13 left cut it to 60-54, but the Hatters scored the next five points to pull away.

The Wildcats struggled from both the field (37.7 percent) and free throw line (41.2 percent.

Potts had 15 first-half points as the Wildcats took a quick 5-0 lead. They led 15-14 on a Potts three-pointer with 13:52 left, but Stetson went on a 7-0 run to take a 21-15.

The Wildcats tied it three times, the last on a Ricky Johnson jumper that made it 30-30 with 2:44 left before Stetson closed the half with  an 8-2 run..

Mario Moody added 12 points for the Wildcats, while Johnson and Quinton Forrest scored 10 each.

Stetson will meet East Carolina at 5 p.m. EST Friday, and B-CU plays Sam Houston State at 2:30 p.m.

HEAD COACH GRAVELLE CRAIG

"We just missed too many shots. We put up 77 and at the pace we were, shooting was the key. Uncharacteristically, we were missing at the line also,?

“Stetson is unselfish. It's hard to win when they're shooting like that.”