DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball returns home this weekend for a pair of games against teams from the "Magnolia State" as Jackson State and Alcorn State visit Daytona Beach for two pivotal Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contests taking place at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
What: Game Nineteen
Who: Bethune-Cookman (12-6, 3-2) vs. Jackson State (10-6, 5-0)
When: Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
What: Game Twenty
Who: Bethune-Cookman (12-6, 3-2) vs. Alcorn State (4-12, 2-3)
When: Monday, Jan. 29, at 5 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Jackson State is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Alcorn State 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
▪ Bethune-Cookman comes into the weekend as part of a four-way tie in third place of the SWAC standings at 3-2.
▪ O'Mariyah Tucker was named this week's SWAC Women's Basketball Impact Player of the Week. Tucker, a 5-foot-11, senior guard from Ocala, Florida, averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats last week.
▪ Junior center Kayla Clark is tied for 19th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, with the Miami native hauling in an average of 3.9 defensive boards per contest for the Maroon and Gold. Additionally, the Miami Central High product is tied for 58th in the nation for total rebounds per game with an average of 9.0 on the campaign.
▪ Kerrighan Dunn continues to be one of the best defenders in the SWAC, as the Texarkana, Texas native is averaging 2.33 steals per game – allowing her to tie for 57th nationally in that category.
▪ As a team, Bethune-Cookman is second in the league for total defense, holding opponents to just 60.1 points per game. The Cats are also third in the league in scoring margin, as the Maroon and Gold are outscoring opponents by 10.2 points per contest.
▪ As a team, Bethune-Cookman is scoring 70.3 points per game, while holding opponents to 60.1 points per contest.
▪ The Cats are shooting 40.8 percent from the floor overall, including 27.9 percent from three-point range. BCU is averaging 4.2 three-pointers per game, respectfully.
▪ In rebounding, the Maroon and Gold have a 4.5 boards edge over opponents as the team hauls in 41.1 rebounds per contest for the season.
▪ Chanel Wilson leads the Cats in scoring with 228 points (12.7 per game), followed by Chanelle McDonald with 180 points (10.0 per game) and Kerrighan Dunn with 167 points (9.3 per game).
▪ Clark has a team-high 15 blocked shots to go along with 15 steals and 24 assists from her center position on the court.
▪ D'Shantae Edwards is second on the team with 36 steals, as the sophomore from Pennsylvania also has 33 assists and averages 7.6 points per game.
 
RECAPPING BCU'S LAST GAME (at Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
It was Kayla Clark ripping down 19 rebounds and scoring a team-high tying 14 points alongside O'Mariyah Tucker as Bethune-Cookman defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 73-70 in a SWAC women's basketball contest inside H.O. Clemmons Arena.
 
In one of the most anticipated women's basketball games thus far in the SWAC season, Bethune-Cookman never trailed on the night. In fact, the game was only tied on one occasion early-on in the first quarter.
 
BCU led 24-15 after the opening quarter on the strength of a 10-2 run kicked off by a Chanel Wilson three-pointer from the right elbow. Wilson later added a putback layup off a Daimoni Dorsey missed layup, followed just moments later by an O'Mariyah Tucker three-pointer from the top of the key. Another Tucker turnaround jumper just outside the paint extended the Wildcats lead at 18-9. Kerrighan Dunn went to work for the Maroon and Gold in the second quarter, putting in five points – including a basket from beyond the arc, while teammate and center Kayla Clark scored six of her team-high matching 14 points in the period.
 
The Wildcats would take a 37-30 lead into the locker room at the half on the strength of shooting 36.6 percent from the field as a team, and limiting Zaay Green, one the league's most explosive scorers for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, to just five (5) first half points, as she was saddled with two early fouls.
 
UAPB would cut the lead down to one at 47-46 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Maori Davenport picked off a BCU pass and raced to the bucket for a layup, while outside shooting threat Demetria Shephard connected on one of her two three-pointers on the night in what was a 9-2 Golden Lions run. Green added six points for the hosts in the period.
 
But it would be Karianna Woods driving in for two of her 12 points on the night – eventually completing the three-point play at the foul line, to put BCU's lead at 53-46. Clark's putback layup off a Tucker missed free throw extended the lead at 58-48 heading into the fourth quarter. BCU dominated the boards with a 56-48 advantage, as well as a 24-12 edge in second chance points.
 
With the Cats up 71-63 after a Dorsey three-pointer with 1:34 remaining in the game, UAPB's duo of Green and center Maya Peat answered for the Golden Lions to bring their side to within 72-67 with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Woods converted a free throw to put BCU up six, before Coriah Beck nailed a three-pointer with nine seconds left. A BCU turnover with seven seconds remaining was followed by a Woods steal to seal the win for the visitors, giving BCU its first-ever win in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
 
UAPB was led on the night by Green with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Peat turned in 11 points and Beck finished in double-digits with 10.
 
Clark finished the game with a team-high knotting 14 points and game-high 19 rebounds, while teammate Tucker had 14 points of her own. Dunn tallied 13 points in the game and handed out four assists. Meanwhile, Woods finished with 12 points, three assists and two steals for the visitors.
 
BCU VS. JACKSON STATE SERIES
▪ Jackson State has owned the series against Bethune-Cookman since the two teams first met when BCU entered the SWAC during the course of the 2021-22 athletic year.
▪ JSU leads the series by a 4-0 margin with all but one win coming by less than 20 points.
▪ Bethune-Cookman dropped the first meeting by an 82-49 decision back on Jan. 22, 2022, in Daytona Beach.
▪ JSU collected both meetings last year – home and away, with the Cats falling by a 77-52 result at Moore Gymnasium.
 
SCOUTING JACKSON STATE
▪ Jackson State arrives to Moore Gym with a perfect 5-0 mark in the SWAC and sporting a 10-6 record overall.
▪ The Tigers are averaging 70.7 points per game on the year to lead the league, while holding opponents to just 57.9 points per contest.
▪ In the rebounding department, it is the Tigers outrebounding opponents by eight boards per game with JSU averaging 42.9 rebounds per contest.
▪ Also in defense, Jackson State is forcing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game to opponents and using those turnovers to score 18.9 points per game.
▪ Ti'lan Boler, one of the best players in the SWAC for the past two seasons, is once again JSU's leading scorer with 172 points (10.8 per game), as she also shoots at a 28.1 percent clip from three-point range – in addition to 37.7 percent from the floor overall.
▪ Miya Crump is just behind Boler in the scoring column for the Tigers with an average of 10.6 points per contest, adding a team-high 24 steals and 84 rebounds (5.3 per game) to her credit.
▪ The post is patrolled by Angel Jackson who leads the Tigers with 106 rebounds (6.6 per game), as well as a team-high 40 blocked shots and turning in 8.9 points per contest.
 
BCU VS. ALCORN STATE SERIES
▪ In a relatively short series between Bethune-Cookman and Alcorn State, the Wildcats lead the series against the Braves by a 2-1 count.
▪ Bethune-Cookman won the first meeting between the two sides, 64-48 on Feb. 12, 2022, in Lorman, Mississippi.
▪ The Cats and Braves split the pair of meetings last year, as the home teams held court, respectively.
▪ Alcorn's first win over the Cats was a 58-49 decision in Lorman on Jan. 23, 2023.
 
SCOUTING ALCORN STATE
▪ Alcorn State will first play Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon before coming to Daytona Beach for a Monday evening affair.
▪ The Braves arrive to the "Sunshine State" with a 4-12 overall record and a 2-3 record in SWAC play.
▪ Alcorn averages 50.3 points per game, as opponents are scoring at a 66.1 points per game clip against the Braves.
▪ As a team, the Braves shoot 33.8 percent from the field, including a 20.3 percent clip from long range.
▪ Zy'nyia White is the leading scorer for the Braves with 202 points across the campaign thus far, averaging 12.6 per game and adding 4.1 rebounds per contest. She also has 13 assists and 18 steals under her belt.
▪ Now in her second season with the Braves program, forward Destiny Brown has a team second-most 149 points (9.9 per game) to go along with 102 rebounds (6.8 per game) and a team-high 25 blocked shots.
▪ Nakia Cheatham also provides the Braves with 6.9 rebounds per game and shooting at a 41.9 percent clip overall from the floor, adding a 40 percent touch from three-point territory – also turning in 23 steals and 13 assists.
 
UP NEXT
After this weekend's home slate, the Wildcats venture back on the road to the state of Alabama for a pair of games away to Alabama State (Feb. 3) and Alabama A&M (Feb. 5).
 
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