CLEVELAND – Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball travels to Cleveland State on Friday, Dec. 13, with the Wildcats' Asianae Nicholson and Kayle White making a return to their home state of Ohio for a 7 p.m. tip-off inside Woodling Gymnasium. For both Nicholson and White, this is their first-ever collegiate game back in the "Buckeye State", as both players are from the Cleveland area.
 

What: Game Nine
Who: Bethune-Cookman (2-6) at Cleveland State (7-2)
When: Friday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.
Where: Cleveland, Ohio – Woodling Gymnasium (3,000)
 
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Click Here
Tickets: Purchase Tickets Online
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Cleveland State is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
 

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 X/Twitter.
 

▪ For the Wildcats, 12 of their first 15 games – extending well into the new 2025 calendar year, will occur on the road away from the friendly confines of Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. Since a November 30 matchup at home to Mercer, B-CU will play eight consecutive games on the road, including a pair of neutral site games in nearby DeLand for the Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson.
▪ As a team, Bethune-Cookman sits atop the SWAC in defense and allowing just 64.1 points per game and leads the league with a plus-six (+3.0) scoring margin. Opponents are shooting at 38 percent which is also lowest in the SWAC to put the Maroon and Gold atop the league in that category as well.
▪ Bethune-Cookman is forcing its opponents into an average of 20.3 turnovers per game, while averaging 15.1 points per game off turnovers. In all, B-CU has registered 159 points off turnovers throughout the season.
▪ The Wildcats have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the SWAC with a 0.90 ratio.
▪ Kayla White is the B-CU leader in assists with 21, as teammate Karianna Woods – having missed the last game, sits second on the squad with 20.
▪ Kayla White and Asianae Nicholson are returning to their hometown area of Cleveland when facing the CSU Vikings. The former teammates at Brush High School are playing their first-ever game in Ohio since departing for college.
▪ Shomari Phillips leads the Cats in three-pointers with 10 on the season, and now has 27 in her career dating back to her time with Texas Southern.
▪ B-CU is outscoring opponents by 30 points in the third quarter of games, and another seven in the fourth quarter, respectfully.
 

▪ This will be the first-ever meeting between Bethune-Cookman and Cleveland State in women's basketball.
 

▪ As a team, Cleveland State is averaging 79 points per game and outscoring opponents by more than 15 points
per contest, respectfully.
▪ The Vikings have connected on 67 three-pointers and shoot 37 percent from long range on the season.
▪ Four different players have scored 100 points or more, topped by Mickayla Perdue with 198 (22.0 ppg). Jordana Reisma (13.6 ppg) and Sara Guerreiro (13.3 ppg) follow, while Destiny Leo (11.9 ppg) concludes the quarter.
▪ Guerreiro, a grad student from Portugal, leads the Vikings in rebounds from her guard position with an average
of 8.8 per game. She also holds the team lead in assists (44) and steals (11).
▪ Leo is the Vikings' leader in three-pointers (27) followed closely by Perdue (25).
▪ Cleveland State averages 13.2 points per game off opponent turnovers.
 

Four Bethune-Cookman players scored double figures with Miami (Fla.) defeating visiting
Bethune-Cookman, 81-63 in women's basketball action inside Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Miami shot just under 54 percent from the floor including 3 of 5 from three-point range to lead 17-11 after the opening quarter. Hurricanes forwards Natalija Marshall and Cameron Williams combined for 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the fi eld, as well as collectively securing five rebounds. Bethune-Cookman received four points from senior guard/forward Kayla White as the Cleveland, Ohio, native shot 2-for-3 from the floor. B-CU was limited to just 23.8 percent from the fi eld as a team, but did muscle out the Canes on the offensive glass as the Wildcats pulled down six offensive boards as compared to Miami's two.
 
Trailing by six to open the period, Bethune-Cookman got a three-pointer from Daimoni Dorsey, followed by a Kayla
White steal and layup to bring the Wildcats to within 17-16. After a timeout by the Hurricanes, B-CU took its first lead of the afternoon courtesy a three-pointer from senior guard Shomari Phillips. The two teams traded baskets until Miami raced out to a 31-24 lead behind a Marshall three-pointer and teammate Jasmyne Roberts converting off a Wildcats miscue. B-CU outperformed the Hurricanes in fi eld goal percentage during the second period, shooting 46.7 percent in comparison to Miami's 42.1 percent. Both teams hit three (3) three-pointers, although the Canes would carry a 36-30 lead into the locker room at the half. After Dorsey drained her second three-pointer of the day to bring the Cats to within 36-33 to begin the second half, the Hurricanes' Haley Cavinder connected on a jumper in the paint to answer. And it was a Roberts three-pointer preceding another Haley Cavinder layup off a Cats turnover, advancing the Canes lead, 43-33. In all, it was an 8-0 run by Miami later in the period that gave them their largest lead up to that point, 57-44 when Lemyah Hylton found Williams along the baseline for a layup. The Hurricanes were 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the third quarter and scored five points off three B-CU turnovers. Asianae Nichols got going for the Cats with a 3-for-6 shooting touch in the period. Janessa Kelley also registered a three-pointer in the quarter as B-CU shot 2 of 5 from long range as a unit.
 
Bethune-Cookman was forced into four turnovers in the fourth quarter resulting in seven points for the hosts. Miami connected on nine fi eld goals – two coming from beyond the arc, while the Cats responded with a 33.3 percent shooting mark in the stanza. Miami pushed the lead to 20 late-on when Williams converted 1 of 2 at the foul line to put her side ahead, 81-61. Nicholson connected on a pair of free throws to produce the final 81-63 scoreline. Kayla Clark was 2-for-4 shooting in the final quarter for B-CU, including a step back jumper from the top of the key just inside the three-point line. Phillips hit her team-high 10th three-pointer of the season as well. Miami was led in scoring by three players in double figures including a game-high 20 points from Marshall. Williams finished with 17 points as both players were 7 of 10 shooting from the fi eld, respectively. Marshall had four (4) three-pointers as well for the Canes. Haley Cavinder also recorded 13 points. Williams tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds to lead all in that category. For B-CU, it was White leading all Wildcats scorers with 14 points, as Dorsey and Nicholson each had 12 points apiece. Clark finished the afternoon with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 

Bethune-Cookman travels to nearby DeLand, Florida, to compete in the Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson at the Edmunds Center. The Wildcats will face off against Bradley (Dec. 19) and South Alabama (Dec. 20) with both games occurring each day at 1:30 p.m.
 
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