Daytona Beach, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman will play their final nonconference home game and final home game of 2023 against Incarnate Word. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. as the Wildcats look to remain undefeated at home.


Friday, December 1
Opponent:  Incarnate Word (3-4)
Time: 7:00 p.m.. EST
Location: Moore Gymnasium
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Watch: youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork



Bethune-Cookman was defeated by Longwood in the final game of the Brock Challenge in Farmville, Virginia. The loss dropped them to 0-3 in the event, with losses to Lamar and Delaware State along with the Lancers.
 
Despite falling behind early-on, Bethune-Cookman (3-4) fought back with a three-pointer from Jakobi Heady stemming from a turnover, as well as a three-point play completed at the foul line by center Elijah Hulsewe. Zion Harmon's old-fashioned three-point play, drawing the foul from the Lancers D'Avian Houston, allowed BCU a 10-6 lead on the strength of a 10-2 run, respectfully.
 
Derrick Carter-Hollinger Jr. and Reggie Ward Jr. went back-to-back in scoring for the Maroon and Gold as BCU grabbed its largest lead of the opening half at 21-14 with 6:32 remaining.
 
Shooting 47.6 percent from the field and converting 12 first half Longwood turnovers into 16 points, Bethune-Cookman led by the thinnest of margins, 28-27 as the two teams went to the locker rooms at the break.
 
Longwood (6-1) began the second half with a flurry, scoring 14 of the first 17 points in the period.
 
A three-point play from top-scorer Johnathan Massie was followed by a Jesper Granlund pull-up jumper from the elbow, with Walyn Napper later driving the paint for two of his 13 points on the day, allowing the Lancers a 36-29 advantage. Napper, despite shooting 0-for-3 from three-point territory in the game, would convert a pair of free throws with 12:21 showing on the clock, before teammate Houston drained a three-pointer from in front of his own bench to extend the Longwood lead to 41-31.
 
Later in the half, Houston recorded two free throws with Granlund later registering a three-pointer to push the lead out to as many as 20 (65-45) with under two minutes remaining in the contest.
 
In the second half, it was Longwood turning the tables and forcing BCU into 11 turnovers, while scoring 10 points off those miscues – and limiting the Cats to zero (0) points off five Lancers turnovers for the period. Meanwhile, the bench played a big part, as Longwood outscored the Cats 20-11 in that department, as well as 11 second chance points as compared to BCU's three.
 
The Lancers were led on the day by Massie's 18-point outburst, including two (2) three-pointers and an 8 of 13 showing at the foul line. Houston would finish with 15 points, and Napper ended with 13. Michael Christmas controlled the boards with a game-high nine rebounds, while Napper provided his side with four assists and a season-high six steals.
 
Bethune-Cookman was sparked by the scoring of Hulsewe with a season-high matching 13 points and seven rebounds.



Incarnate Word is 3-4 on the season and is currently on a two-game losing streak. The Cardinals defeated BCU's SWAC rival Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a score of 100-81 on November 18th.

The Cardinals are led in scoring by Sky Wicks. The junior guard is averaging 20.1 points on 45% shooting from the field and 36% from three-point range. He is one of 41 players in Division I averaging 20+ points per game. Wicks is also the team's leading rebounder with 7.3 per game. He struggled in their previous game, a loss to Jacksonville State, only scoring eight points on 2/8 shooting.

Incarnate Word has struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 15.0 per game, which is toward the bottom in the country. The Wildcats are first in the NCAA in steals per game.




BCU has faced Incarnate Word twice in their history with both matchups coming within the last five years. The series is spilt at a game a piece. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats last season 77-65..

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