NORFOLK, Va. - After a dreadful first quarter, the Bethune-Cookman women's basketball team used a come-from-behind performance to pull off a 53-45 victory over the Norfolk State Spartans on Monday night (Jan. 11), in Echols Hall.
Redshirt junior Kailyn Williams (New Orlenas, La.) led the way during the come-back victory, finishing with her fifth double-double of the season while pouring in 10 points, pulling down 15 boards and swatting six Spartan shots.
The Wildcats (8-8, 2-1 MEAC) shot a wretched 1-for-13 (7.7%) from the field in the first quarter while committing 10 turnovers as a team in the opening stanza before falling behind 18-2 early.
The score was settled in the second quarter after the Wildcats put up an impressive 24 points, shooting 50% from the field, while holding the Spartans to just eight, knotting the score at 26 heading into the half.
Ashanti Hunt (Washington, D.C.) scored the Wildcats lone bucket in the first quarter, before eight of the nine 'Cats that saw second quarter action added at least two points to the B-CU effort.
After the intermission, a Williams layup at the 9:12 mark in the third stanza gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 28-26.
It was a back-and-forth battle during the remainder of the third, as both teams put ten points on the board leaving the game tied at 36 heading into the final quarter.
Six of Williams' ten points came during the third.
It was all B-CU in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats used a Jasmine Knowles (Romulus, Mich.) bucket through traffic with 1:03 left on the clock to pull ahead five (50-45).
After a B-CU timeout, NSU fouled Knowles who connected on one shot from the line, before Williams pulled down a pivotal board with 23 seconds left in regulation.
The Wildcats called a timeout to advance the ball while NSU fouled Kendra Cooper (Spring, Texas) on the inbounds, giving B-CU the eight-point lead and 53-45 victory.
Offensively, Cooper led the Wildcats finishing with 14 points, trailed by Williams and Knowles 10 points apiece.
In addition to Williams 15 rebounds, fellow junior Taylor Houston (Raleigh, N.C.) collected seven while Knowles dished a team-best four assists.
Kayla Roberts and Siobhan Beslow led the Spartans (0-14, 0-4 MEAC), each finishing with an identical eight points, nine rebound performance.
B-CU returns to Moore Gym on Saturday, Jan. 16 as the Wildcats welcome Coppin State to Daytona Beach for a 2 p.m. match-up.
