ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2023-24 edition of Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball tips off Monday, Nov. 6, as the Wildcats make the short trip to Orlando for a season-opening contest with the UCF Knights at 6 p.m. The game serves as the season-opener for both programs.
 
What: Game One
Who: Bethune-Cookman (0-0) at UCF (0-0)
When: Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, at 6 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. – Addition Financial Arena (10,000)
 
Watch: ESPN+
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ UCF is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball this season by following the Wildcats social media platforms. You can follow @BCU_WBB on Instagram and @BCUWBB on Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Under the direction of head coach Janell Crayton, Bethune-Cookman enters the 2023-24 campaign off the heels of an 11-18 record a year ago. The Wildcats went 10-8 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play and advanced to the opening round of the SWAC Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.
▪ The Cats return last season's top scorer in the form of Chanel Wilson who averaged 16.9 points per game. Wilson also shot at a .405 percentage from the field, adding a .370 percentage from three-point range.
▪ Sophomore guard D'Shantae Edwards returns for the Cats after registering 32 assists and scoring 8.3 points per game last season. Edwards was second on the team overall in scoring with 240 points.
▪ Kayla Clark, a junior from Miami, returns to the fold after leading the Maroon and Gold with 229 rebounds (8.2 per game) across the 2022-23 season, as well as scoring 7.1 points per contest.
▪ In all, six of the Wildcats seven players that amassed 100 points or better last season return to the squad for 2023-24. The lone exception having departed was senior guard Morgan Beacham who graduated in May.
▪ Four of BCU's first five games occur away from the friendly confines of Moore Gymnasium, including a two-game swing as part of the Georgia State Classic hosted by the GSU Panthers in Atlanta on November 22-23.
▪ Beginning November 28, the Cats play four home games against teams from Jacksonville, Warner (Fla.), Johnson (Fla.) and Trinity Baptist, respectively.
 
BCU VS. UCF SERIES
▪ In a series that dates back to Feb. 26, 1977, UCF leads the all-time meetings against Bethune-Cookman by a 14-4 count. The Wildcats have dropped the last five meetings against the Knights, including a 70-43 decision the last time the two sides met back on Dec. 4, 2016, in Orlando.
▪ The last win for the Maroon and Gold came courtesy a 63-61 decision at Moore Gymnasium on Dec. 12, 2000.
▪ On the road, BCU is just 1-7 all-time against the Knights.
 
SCOUTING UCF
▪ Head Coach Sytia Messer is in her second season at the helm in Orlando, while hiring three new members to her staff in the offseason. Included on her staff is former BCU Associate Head Coach Chandler McCabe.
▪ UCF hosts its first three games at home before embarking upon the Discover Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 23.
▪ The Knights finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 14-15, while owning a 4-11 mark in league play.
▪ Despite losing Destiny Thomas, last season's leading scorer for the Knights, UCF returns Mya Burns who averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per contests.
▪ Also gone from the program is last year's leading three-point shooter Rachel Ranke, who shot at a .273 clip from beyond the arc, connecting on 53 three-point field goals across the season.
▪ Overall, UCF has nine (9) players who have served at previous colleges/universities before arriving to the program, including Anzhané Hutton from Howard University. Last season, Hutton poured in an average of 7.6 points per game in 20 contests for the Knights, en route to leading the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game.
▪ Sierra Godbolt returns for her sophomore season after topping the Knights in assists with 98 as a freshman. She is also a local native from Orlando having played her prep basketball with Lake Highland Prep.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE KNIGHTS
Bethune-Cookman women's basketball still looks for its first true road win as the Wildcats suffered a 70-43 Setback at UCF in Orlando on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016. Kailyn Williams added 15 points for the second-straight game for BCU, leading the Wildcats offense and added a team-best seven rebounds. Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis called a timeout at the 6:37 mark in the first quarter, as BCU was still held scoreless, 11-0.

After breaking the UCF press, Taylor Houston fed Kailyn Williams on the right block out of the timeout, as the Wildcats got on the board for the first time during the game at the 6:26 mark. After the first ten, BCU trailed 26-8 while Williams led the Wildcat's effort with four points and two boards. UCF took a 20-point lead into the intermission, up 39-19, despite the slim 13-11 advantage for the Knights in the second stanza.

At the break, Houston led the Wildcats seven points, a rebound and two assists while rookie Kanesha Battle trailed the offensive efforts with six points and Williams added five and three rebounds. Another low scoring quarter saw 19 points between the two teams in the third before the Knights held onto the 70-43, victory. Trailing Williams, Houston added seven points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds, while rookie Kanesha Battle added six points for BCU.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats remain on the road when visiting the University of Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m., inside Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
 
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