HOUSTON – Bethune-Cookman completed a sweep of both Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) schools hailing from Texas on Monday evening, as the Wildcats took down Texas Southern by a score of 66-62 in women's basketball action housed at the Health and Physical Education Arena on the campus of Texas Southern University.
 
Texas Southern (1-21, 1-10 SWAC) trailed 51-48 early in the fourth quarter after Donterria Brown connected on a jumper off the pass from Mykaylyn Davis. After the free throw from Brown, the Tigers were down just 51-49 less than 30 seconds into the final period.
 
Moments later, the Tigers tied the game at 51-all as Davis knifed through traffic for the layup.
 
Bethune-Cookman (9-12, 8-3) reclaimed the lead at 53-51 on the other end of the court with Camerah Langston hitting on a jumper from just above the foul line.
 
The two sides would go back-and-forth until TXSO grabbed its first lead since it was 4-2 in the first quarter, using an Anela Thomas three-pointer to surge ahead 56-55 with 7:47 remaining in the contest. Taniya Lawson's driving layup extended the lead at 58-55 for the hosts, until the BCU scoring drought ended as Nia Jordan's layup made it 58-57 in favor of TXSO with 5:17 left.
 
With BCU leading 61-60 with under two minutes remaining, Jordan drove to the basket and put in the layup off the glass with the foul from the Tigers' Brown. Jordan stepped to the line and converted the free throw to give the Wildcats a 64-60 cushion with just over a minute showing on the clock.
 
TXSO's Skye Green hit both of her free throw attempts with 38 seconds remaining, cutting into the lead at 64-62.
 
However, the hosts would fail to capitalize on two golden opportunities down the stretch. The missed chances would prove costly as Kayla Clark found a wide-open Woods inside the paint with just four seconds remaining to seal the 66-62 Maroon and Gold win.
 
BCU led 18-12 after the opening quarter of play, as the Cats shot 7-of-14 from the field and converted on 4-of-6 shots from the charity stripe. The Cats defense limited the homestanding Tigers to shooting just 24 percent throughout the opening period, while BCU shot at a 50 percent clip from the field.
 
On the night, Bethune-Cookman failed to connect on a three-pointer, as the Cats finished the game 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Texas Southern finished 6-for-15 from three-point territory. It is that shooting that helped pull the Tigers to within 33-29 at the half.
 
The Cats led by as many as 24-16 with 6:06 remaining in the second quarter after Woods sank a pair of free throws – as well as a floater in the lane from the Ann Arbor, Michigan native.
 
As a result of Monday evening's score line, BCU runs it winning streak to four games, while Texas Southern dropped its seventh consecutive game, respectfully.
 
For the Cats, the win streak is the longest of its kind since registering 15 wins on the bounce towards the latter stages of the 2019-20 season – one that saw the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament halted due to the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
 
TXSO was led in scoring by a pair of Tigers in double-figures, using 15 points from Andriana Avent and 14 points from Micah Gray. Taniya Lawson ended the game with eight points and six rebounds to help her cause.
 
As for the visitors, the Wildcats were guided by the scoring of three players reaching double-figures. Langston supplied a season-best 14 points off the bench on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, as well as picking up four rebounds (two on the offensive glass). Chanel Wilson and Woods each tallied 12 points apiece, as Wilson also hauled in five rebounds, two steals and supplied four assists.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns home Saturday, Feb. 11, as the Wildcats welcome SWAC opponent Alcorn to Moore Gymnasium at 2 p.m. The Cats fell away to the Braves in Lorman, Mississippi by a count of 58-49 back on January 23.
 
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