DeLAND, Fla. – After leading by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter, the Bethune-Cookman women's basketball team allowed a fourth period comeback from the Georgia State Panthers, as the Wildcats suffered a 68-61 loss Sunday afternoon on the opening day of the Stetson Hatters Classic at The Edmunds Center.
A Kendra Cooper (Spring, Texas) three-ball opened the first stanza, before the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run early-on.
Georgia State's Makeba Ponder broke the Panthers scoring drought at the 5:58 mark with a three-pointer of her own, putting GSU on the board, 9-3.
At the first media timeout, B-CU held onto a 12-7 advantage.
Georgia State used a 7-0 run during the final 2:30 of the quarter, while limiting the Wildcats to just 1-for-11 shooting from the field, as the Panthers took the 15-14 lead at the end of the first.
Lyndsey Edwards (Indianapolis, Ind.) knocked down a foul shot at the 8:36 mark in the second quarter, knotting the score at 15.
Heading into the second quarter media timeout at the 3:57 mark, Georgia State regained its advantage, 26-22.
A Cooper to Angel Golden (Tampa, Fla.) three pointer with 44 seconds left in the half gave B-CU the 31-30 lead, before Taylor Houston (Raleigh, N.C.) hit two foul shots with two seconds remaining to give the Wildcats the 33-30 lead heading into the locker room.
At the intermission, Houston and Cooper led the Cats in scoring with 11 points each, while Kailyn Williams (New Orleans, La.) added five points and six boards.
The Panthers of GSU went cold for just over a three-minute stretch during the third quarter, as the Wildcats pulled ahead, 46-36.
B-CU led by as many as 11 in the third, eventually finishing the quarter with a 48-39 advantage.
However, the Cats allowed 29 fourth quarter points from the Panthers, while just 13 of their own, before suffering the 68-61 defeat in nearby DeLand.
Houston finished the contest with 20 points, 11 boards and two steals. Meanwhile, teammate Cooper added another 20 points. And it was Kailyn Williams registering 11 points to go along with eight boards and five blocked shots.
B-CU returns to action Monday, Dec. 21, as the Wildcats take on Georgia Southern to conclude the two-day Stetson Hatters Classic. The Eagles and Cats are set to tip at 3 p.m. back inside the Edmunds Center on the campus of Stetson University.
Coverage
Live stats during the Hatters Classic can be found on GoHatters.com, while live tweets can be found by following Bethune-Cookman women's basketball on twitter at @BCUWBB
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