DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Wildcats are ready for the national stage as an ESPN2 broadcast caps off another weekend of SWAC competition at Moore Gym.
Jackson State opens the weekend at Moore Gym with a 4 p.m. tipoff. B-CU follows that up with a primetime matchup with Alcorn State to be broadcast live on ESPN2. Tipoff for that game is set for 9 p.m. The game will be a "White Out," With fans receiving t-shirts for the nationally-televised contest.
Saturday, January 27
Opponent: Jackson State (8-10, 4-1 SWAC)
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Location: Moore Gymnasium
Watch: Youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Tickets: https://bcuathletics.com/common/controls/adhandler.aspx?ad_id=19&target=https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=bethune-cookman%20
Monday, January 29
Opponent: Alcorn State (3-15, 2-3 SWAC)
Time: 9 p.m. EST
Location: Moore Gymnasium
Watch: ESPN2
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Tickets (LIMITED INVENTORY REMAINING): https://bcuathletics.com/common/controls/adhandler.aspx?ad_id=19&target=https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=bethune-cookman%20
Jakobi Heady tied his season-high of 25 points, but a strong second half listed lifted Arkansas - Pine Bluff over B-CU, last Monday Night at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Bethune-Cookmantook early first-half leads at 5-0, 11-5, and 22-15, but Arkansas - Pine Bluff tied things at 27 all 14 minutes into the half on a Rashad Williams three.
Reggie Ward Jr.'s free throw gave B-CU its largest lead of the first half at 37-29 before a Williams jumper made it a six-point game at the break.
UAPB came out of the half strong, tying things again at 43-43 on a Caleb Stokes layup. with 14 to play. The Golden Lions built a seven-point lead - their largest of the contest - on a three from Williams that made it 72-65 with two to play.
A 7-2 run saw B-CU cut it to two on a Heady layup with 11 seconds to play, but
Joe French drained both subsequent free throws to ice the contest at 76-72.
Jackson State is 8-10 this season, including a 4-1 start to SWAC play that has the Tigers tied with Alabama State and Grambling State atop the conference standings. Notable non-conference wins for the Tigers include a 75-71 win against Arkansas State on the road, as well as a 73-72 win over the SEC's Missouri.
Jackson State in the middle of the pack statistically in the SWAC, averaging 70.3 points per game, while allowing 74.9 to opponents. The Tigers are shooting 41 percent from the field as a team, and 31 percent from three.
Junior guard Ken Evans Jr. is the SWAC's second leading scorer, averaging 19 points per game on 44 percent shooting and 45 percent from three. Junior forward Zeke Cook is the SWAC's leading rebounder, averaging 7.7 boards per game. Senior Center Jordan O'Neal has 30 blocks on the year, nine more than the conference's next-closest player.
Alcorn State is 3-15 this season, and 2-3 in conference competition. The Braves split a pair of SWAC contests last weekend, dropping a 72-61 decision against Texas Southern, followed by a 90-78 loss at Prairie View A&M.
The Braves are averaging 69.2 points per game, while allowing 83.7 to opponents, the second-worst mark in the conference. They are shooting 42 percent from the field and 33 percent from three.
Senior forward Jeremiah Kendall ranks sixth in the SWAC in scoring at 16.1 points per game. He is also the Braves leading rebounder at 7.0 per game.
Saturday marks the 5th meeting all-time between Jackson State and B-CU, with the Tigers holding an 1-3 advantage. The Wildcats have lost three straight to Jackson State.
Monday will be the sixth meeting between B-CU and Alcorn State, with B-CU trailing in the series 2-3. Last time out, B-CU took a 76-74 loss at Moore Gym back in Feb., 2023 on a Braves dunk with 0.4 seconds remaining.
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