DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Amaya Scott scored 13 points as Bethune-Cookman dropped a 92-67 decision to Central Michigan in a match-up of 2019 NCAA tournament teams Saturday in Historic Moore Gymnasium.

Micaela Kelly, the nation's sixth leading scorer, scored 17 of her 30 points in the first quarter as the Lady Chippewas (7-3) stormed out to a 26-13 first quarter lead and built it to a 57-32 halftime advantage.  Central Michigan was 65.7 percent (23-35) from the field overall and 66.7 percent (10-15) from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

BCU (8-4) pulled to 68-51 on a Daniella Hatcher lay-up with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter but could come no closer.

Ashlie Howell matched a season-high with 12 points for the Lady Wildcats, while Hatcher and Ashanti Hunt each added 11. Morgan Beacham scored eight of her nine points in the third quarter.

Molly Davis added 23 points for Central Michigan.

Bethune-Cookman returns to action January 4 at Norfolk State in its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener that's also a rematch of last year's tournament championship game.

HEAD COACH VANESSA BLAIR-LEWIS
"We needed to do a better of finishing after Central Michigan jumped out to that early lead. The intensity was there, but we missed a lot of lay-ups and free throws."

NOTES: BCU still finished non-conference play by matching the 2017-18's team best ever mark of 8-4… Kelly was the first player to put 30 on BCU since Coppin State's Chance Graham in 2017… Beacham's nine points were a career high … BCU committed a season low nine turnovers … Scott has been in double figures three of the last four games … Hunt is now 137 points away from 1,000.