DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  -  Rivalry Weekend ended in the first Southwestern Athletic Conference win of the season for Bethune-Cookman, as the Wildcats held on for an 80-76 win to start conference play, Saturday afternoon at Moore Gymnasium.


 
A fast-paced first quarter saw Bethune-Cookman (10-4, 1-0 SWAC) and Florida A&M (1-11, 0-1 SWAC) separated by just one thanks to a pair of and-ones and a Chanel Wilson three ball. 

 B-CU led by as much as five in the second on a three from O'Mariyah Tucker that made it 24-19. 

The Wildcats closed the half on an 8-2 run, including two Wilson buckets,to hit the break up 35-26.

A quick layup and a pair of free throws pulled FAMU back within five to start the second half before a contested layup from D'Shantae Edwards and another transition bucket from Tucker made it 41-32. 

The Wildcats broke things open from there, running up a 15-4 run to make it 53-38 with just over two minutes to play in the third. 

FAMU's Olivia Delancy kept the Rattlers in the game as her pull-up jumper cut the deficit to single digits with eight minutes remaining in the third. 

Nashani Gilbert again put FAMU down nine with an offensive rebound and put-back, but Kayla White's jumper at the end of the shot clock again ballooned the lead to 11. Her three with four minutes remaining made it 67-55, forcing a Rattlers timeout. 

Delancy's block turned into a FAMU ball, which she cashed in with a corner three to make it just a four-point game with three minutes remaining. The Cats quickly punched back as Kayla Clark's full-court inbound pass found Edwards for a quick bucket. 

Another wide open transition pass found Kerrighan Dunn with just 40 seconds remaining to put the cats up 77-71.

A game of free throws saw B-CU miss a pair to give FAMU possession down just 79-75 with 14 seconds remaining. Daimoni Dorsey came up with a steal, drawing a foul to make it 80-75.

One more FAMU free throw made it 80-76, but that was all as the Wildcats held on for the win. 

Chanelle McDonald led B-Cu with a season-high 20 points on 5-8 shooting and 10-11 at the free throw line. She also added seven rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Four other Wildcats finished in double figures. Wilson had 14, Edwards 12, White 11, and Clark 11 in the win. 

• The Wildcats have now won four straight against FAMU. Head Coach Janell Crayton has lost only one contest with FAMU - her first SWAC game as head coach back in 2022. 
• D'Shantae Edwards approached a triple-double with 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. She also added two steals. 
• The Wildcats made 20 of 32 free throws.
• FAMU out-rebounded B-CU, 38-32. 

   

Bethune-Cookman will have a week to prepare for the next contest as they prepare to host Grambling State on Saturday, Jan. 13 a 2 p.m. at Moore Gymnasium. 

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