DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Defense led the way for the Wildcats as 13 steals led to 31 points off turnovers in a 74-61 win over Prairie View A&M, Saturday afternoon at Moore Gymnasium.
A raucous start saw Bethune-Cookman (14-9, 5-5 SWAC) turn four Prairie View A&M (9-11, 5-5 SWAC) possessions into turnovers with a bucket on the other end as the Wildcats went up 10-6 through two minutes of play.
Karianna Woods was responsible for three of four early B-CU steals.
Prairie View A&M answered with a steal and score of their own to make it a 16-14 B-CU advantage with a minute remaining in the first quarter. Back-to-back
Kayla Clark buckets made it a 20-18 game through ten minutes of play.
The Panthers took their first lead of the second quarter with 4:230 to play on a Desiree Lewis layup that made it 30-29.
The two teams stayed within a bucket for the rest of the half -
O'Mariyah Tucker's free throws gave B-CU a 38-37 advantage as the two teams hit the break.
In her first return to action since January 22 at Arkansas - Pine Bluff, Clark poured in 14 first-half points. 20 of Prairie View's 37 first-half points came in the paint, compared to 24 of 38 B-CU points.
The Wildcats stayed steady in the third, leading by as much as four after a B-CU basket and block from
O'Mariyah Tucker.
Another steal and score, this time from
Kayla White, made it 52-48, B-CU, as the two teams headed into the fourth.
Kayla White's deep two gave B-CU's it's largest lead at 59-52.
Kerrighan Dunn made it a double-digit advantage with the first and only Wildcats three of the afternoon that made it 66-56 with just over three minutes to play.
The Wildcats ran away with things from there, allowing just three more Panther points en route to the 74-61 win.
- Kayla White led all scorers with a career-high 19 points on 9-14 shooting with five rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
- Kayla Clark scored 16 on 8-12 shooting with five rebounds, a steal, and a block.
- D'Shantae Edwards was the only other Wildcat in double figures, scoring 11 with four steals.
- B-CU scored 31 points off turnovers and 46 points in the paint.
The Wildcats return to action Monday, Feb. 12 as they host Texas Southern. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
Follow Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball on Twitter (@BCUWBB) and Instagram (@BCU_WBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.
