DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman looks to rebound from last weekend's setback on the road to Florida International when the Wildcats welcome Warner University (Fla.) to Richard V. Moore Gymnasium in nonconference women's basketball play on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m.
 
What: Game Eight
Who: Bethune-Cookman (4-3) vs. Warner University (5-3)
When: Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at 2 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Free admission with toy for "Toys for Tots"
Live Stats: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Warner (Fla.) is not ranked in this week's NAIA Coaches 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.
 
FAN INFORMATION/PROMOTIONS
▪ Doors open one hour prior to tip-off at the South entrance of Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
▪ The clear bag policy is in effect for all Bethune-Cookman Athletics events.
▪ Theme: Toys for Tots
▪ All Bethune-Cookman fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the game.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Sophomore guard D'Shantae Edwards has been named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball Co-Impact Player of the Week, announced by the league office Tuesday, Dec. 5.
▪ The Dallastown Area High product registered a career-high 18 points and season-best six steals as the Wildcats fell late to the Panthers. Edwards scored seven of BCU's nine points in a run that saw the Cats erase a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter. In all, she scored 11 points in the frame, allowing the Cats a 51-49 lead with one minute remaining.
▪ Bethune-Cookman holds a record of 4-3 on the year with the Wildcats four-game win streak snapped last weekend in a thrilling contest at FIU.
▪ The Wildcats are enjoying a three-game home winning streak dating back to last season's finale against Florida A&M.
▪ BCU is scoring 63.6 points per game on the year while shooting 36.2 percent from the field.
▪ The Cats are shooting 27.8 percent from long range, adding a 65.6 percent touch from the free throw line.
▪ Chanel Wilson leads the Maroon and Gold in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game, followed by Kerrighan Dunn with 9.7 points per game.
▪ Despite missing the first three games of the year, Kayla Clark is bringing down 7.8 rebounds per game.
▪ Karianna Woods has handed out 17 assists for the Cats, with Wilson leading the charge in that category with 24 assists.
 
RECAPPING BCU'S LAST GAME (at FIU)
A furious Bethune-Cookman rally fell just short Sunday afternoon as the Wildcats fell away to Florida International, 54-51 in nonconference women's basketball action inside Ocean Bank Convocation Center. In the loss, BCU saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
 
Trailing 45-30 entering the fourth quarter, Bethune-Cookman (4-3) outscored FIU by a margin of 21-9 over the final 10 minutes of play. After FIU pushed its lead to 47-30 with 9:29 remaining in the game, BCU began a 12-0 run on the strength of a D'Shantae Edwards driving layup. With Kerrighan Dunn scoring off a Panthers turnover, Edwards took control and scored the next five points for the Cats in cutting the deficit to 47-40. Kayla Clark's layup moments later capped the run and BCU was within 47-42 with 3:26 showing on the clock.
 
FIU's Courtney Prenger cut to the hole for a layup to extend the lead for the hosts at 49-42 with 2:28 left. But another Edwards driving layup and back-to-back free throws from the Dallastown, Pennsylvania native was immediately followed by a Chanel Wilson jumper to knot the game at 49-all with less than a minute to go.
 
Edwards poured in 11 of her 18 points for the game in the final quarter.
 
The Wildcats secured their first lead of the afternoon with 15 seconds to go as Wilson sliced through the lane for two of her 10 points in the contest. It took the Panthers just four seconds to tie the game at 51-51 when Henderson stuck in the layup and drew contact for the and-one opportunity. She would convert the free throw to give FIU the lead back, 52-51 with 11 ticks remaining.
 
A turnover off the pass from Karianna Woods resulted in FIU getting the ball back and using Kaliah Henderson's pair of free throws to seal the game. FIU ran out to an early double-digit lead as the Panthers shot 50 percent from the field in the opening stanza. BCU would shoot just 31.8 percent from the field in the first half, turning the ball over 14 times and leading to 12 FIU points off those miscues. BCU scored just five points in the first quarter but outscored the Panthers in two of the final three periods.
 
However, Janell Crayton's side bounced back to shoot 58.3 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, limiting the Panthers to just 27.3 percent over that span.
 
FIU was led in scoring by Henderson and Prenger with 10 points apiece. BCU was steered by Edwards' career-high 18-point night as she connected on four field goals, adding a 10 for 17 showing from the foul line. She also grabbed in six steals. Wilson provided 10 points. And it was Clark hauling down a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
BCU VS. WARNER (FLA.) SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series with Warner (Fla.) by a 3-0 count.
▪ The last time the two teams faced each other was a 73-56 decision for BCU in Daytona Beach on December 6, 2021.
▪ The largest margin of victory for the Cats was a 100-28 victory on December 15, 2015.
▪ All games in the series have been played at Moore Gymnasium.
 
SCOUTING WARNER (FLA.)
▪ Warner (Fla.) comes into the game at Bethune-Cookman sporting a record of 5-3 overall on the season.
▪ Jasmine Edwards was named the NAIA Player of the Week this past week after registering 18 points against North Florida. She also poured in 34 points against the University of Fort Lauderdale – her sixth double-double in eight games for the Royals.
▪ Edwards began her collegiate career at SWAC member Jackson State.
▪ Warner is averaging 70.8 points per game, while holding opponents to just 60.4 points per contest.
▪ The Royals are shooting 43.3 percent from the field, including 28.2 percent from beyond the three-point line.
▪ Warner is out-rebounding opponents by 2.5 boards per contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE ROYALS
It was more how Kayla Clark got her double-double that helped make Bethune-Cookman's 73-56 over Warner (Fla.) at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida. The freshman overcame early foul trouble for an 18-point, 11-rebound stat line as the Wildcats snapped a five-game losing streak.

Tania White scored a career-high 14 points and Morgan Beacham eight of her 12 in the third quarter to help BCU pull away from a tight 34-33 game just after halftime. White appeared to be on the verge of a monster night with seven (7) first-quarter points as the Wildcats scored 11 unanswered points to take a 19-12 lead late in the period. However, she drew her second foul late in the first quarter and had to take a seat on the bench.

When she returned, she avoided picking up unnecessary fouls for the Wildcats as she, White and Beacham paced BCU the final 18 minutes. Clark was 7 of 10 from the field and 4-for-5 from the foul line.

[Kayla] Clark played with a lot of maturity," said BCU head coach Janell Crayton. "She didn't stop playing hard; didn't stop rebounding; didn't stop attacking. She has that in her every game and we're just trying to draw that out of her."

BCU's 73 points were a season high as the Wildcats enjoyed a 47-35 rebounding advantage.

"We've been working hard and playing some tough competition," Crayton said. "When we did what we've been working on, we were successful."
 
Imani Reid had seven points and nine rebounds, while Taylor Williams added eight and Tatum Hayes and Kayla White six apiece. Jasmine Edwards led Warner with 16 points.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman continues its three-game homestand with Johnson (Fla.) visiting Daytona Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m. The game is a matinee contest for local schools to have the opportunity to visit Moore Gym and support the Wildcats during the school day.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball on Twitter (@BCUWBB) and Instagram (@BCU_WBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.