DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman made it four wins on the bounce at home Monday evening, as the Wildcats defeated Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent Alabama A&M by a score of 55-46 in women's basketball action inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
Trailing 39-37 after three quarters, Bethune-Cookman (7-12, 6-3 SWAC) turned up the defensive pressure, limiting the visitors to just 19 percent shooting from the field over the course of the final 10 minutes of play. The Wildcats themselves shot at a 46 percent clip from the floor, adding a perfect 8-for-8 showing at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
 
Chanel Wilson connected on a jumper from just outside the paint for the Maroon and Gold, tying the game at 39-all just nine seconds into the final period.
 
Alabama A&M (8-11, 6-3) looked towards Taylor Smith for the go-ahead basket, as the speedy guard dropped in two of her seven points on the night in order to put the Bulldogs back up 41-39. But the hosts quickly knotted the game again with a White layup in order to make it 41-41.
 
The Bulldogs' last lead of the game would come by way of a Toni Grace layup with 5:36 remaining, before a D'Shantae Edwards layup of her own began a 10-0 Bethune-Cookman run to put the Wildcats up 51-43 with 1:55 left in the game. That basket was courtesy Nia Jordan's layup off the pass from Wilson.
 
Wilson, a native of Powder Springs, Georgia, would step to the line and convert all four of her foul shots down the stretch in order to secure the win for Head Coach Janell Crayton, and keep the Cats in the mix as part of a five-way tie for second place in the league standings alongside Southern (La.), Prairie View A&M, Alabama State and Alabama A&M, respectively.
 
In the fourth quarter alone, BCU limited the Bulldogs to just 3-for-16 shooting from the field, and not allowing a single free throw in the period.
 
The Cats would own a 14-10 lead after the first quarter with Wilson scoring five points in the opening frame. Morgan Beacham was 2-for-4 from the field in the quarter as well, while AAMU was sparked by the duo of Darian Burgin and Amiah Simmons each garnering four points for the Bulldogs.
 
However, in the second quarter, it would be the visitors to limit the BCU offense to just a 2-of-17 shooting touch from the floor, as well as a 0-for-4 effort from beyond the arc. Conversely, AAMU shot just 23.5 percent from the field, but was able to outscore the Cats by an 11-6 margin in order to own a 21-20 lead at the half.
 
BCU travels to Texas next weekend for a two-game swing in the "Lone Star State", beginning with a trip to Prairie View A&M on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m. CT.
 
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