SAN ANTONIO –  Sixth-man Houston Smith scored 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting to lead Bethune Cookman to a 66-63 victory Saturday over Eastern Illinois in the University of the Incarnate Word Invitational.

Smith was one of five seniors who scored in double-figures for the Wildcats: Wali Parks (14), Isaiah Bailey (12), Leon Redd (12) and Cletrell Pope (10).  Their collective defensive effort throughout a scrappy game that featured 18 lead changes and 10 ties, however, was the key to victory.

"Today was as fun as I've had coaching a group because it was just a battle of wills," Bethune Cookman third-year coach Ryan Ridder said. "It wasn't real pretty on either side, but we've been challenging our guys – just on their defense, their rebounding, their toughness – and I thought today when we couldn't put the ball in the bucket, we had a lot of seniors step up and really play like seniors."

Ridder calls this Bethune Cookman squad "a unique team" that plays six seniors and three freshmen.

"I thought those seniors really were tougher for 40 minutes," Ridder continued. "I have great respect for Eastern Illinois. I think they'll have a chance to be really good in the [Ohio Valley Conference], but I thought our guys just didn't back down.

"Defensively, we were tough. We gave up 41 percent [shooting], kept them from getting to the free-throw line [8-13], did a pretty decent job on the offensive glass. I'm really proud of our guys for the last 48 hours."

On Friday, Bethune Cookman opened the tournament  with a defensive-inspired 83-58 victory over host University of the Incarnate Word.

"Obviously, we've got to figure out a way to put the ball in the bucket a little better," Ridder said of his team that overcame 0-of-11 three-point shooting in the first half and finished 3-of-20 from behind the arc against Eastern Illinois. "Our identity is our toughness, our defense, our rebounding. We did those things today. "Anytime we do those things at a high level, we're going to have a chance to compete. We go one day at a time."

Pope, who double-doubled with 10 rebounds, put BCU (4-2) ahead 57-56 on a lay-up with 4:15 remaining, than Parks and Smith added baskets to push the Wildcat lead to five.

Eastern Illinois (3-3) closed to one point twice, the last on a Deang Deang three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining, but Bailey (12 points) sank two free throws with four seconds remaining.

BCU concludes its second Texas road trip against St. Francis (Ill.) Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.