NORFOLK, Va. -- Being the number one seed in the conference is a defensive position.  You're already at the top of the rankings, but everyone is chasing you – everyone wants to beat you.
 
Last year, that position got the best of Bethune-Cookman when the top-seeded Lady Wildcats were sent home by South Carolina State in the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, that experience helped as B-CU outlasted Savannah State 53-43 to advance to Friday's semifinals.

The stats may show a dominating Lady Wildcats performance, but Savannah State didn't make it easy, cutting an 18-point deficit down to four in the final minutes.

Being challenged late is one thing Bethune-Cookman has learned to overcome.

"I think we've been there before, especially at the beginning of our season when we were struggling," said senior Taylor Houston, who scored 13 points Wednesday. "But we know how to handle it now. We know not to panic and we had to be strong with the ball."

Kendra Cooper led Bethune-Cookman with 20 points, including the crucial three-pointer with under a minute to play that quieted the Savannah State run.

"She has the green light. We all have the utmost confidence in Cooper," said Houston. "When she hit that big three, it was no surprise to us, but it got us hyped and let us know that it was time to separate the game."

Cooper, who scored 22 in a tournament victory over Florida A&M two years ago,  also hit that 'big three' just before the buzzer at the end of the first quarter that shot put the Wildcats ahead for the rest of the game.

It's her teammates that get the credit from Cooper for her team-leading performance, though.
 
"I know I have not only four people on the court starting with me, but I have two other players who can come in at my position and do just as well as I can," said Cooper. "It's really no pressure on me at all."