DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Jakobi Heady, Zion Harmon, Dhashon Dyson, and DJ Carter-Hollinger Jr. combined for 71 points as the Wildcats handed two-time defending SWAC Champion Texas Southern an 83-79 loss, Monday night at Moore Gymnasium. 



A Jakobi Heady three ball kept Bethune-Cookman (12-12, 6-5 SWAC) to within 11-7 of Texas Southern (10-12, 7-4 SWAC) at the contest's first media timeout. 

Yet another Zion Harmon to Heady alley-oop, followed by a Dhashon Dyson pull-up tied things at 17-17 as the teams hit the under-12 media timeout. 

Derrick Carter-Hollinger Jr. ran the length of the floor off a defensive rebound to give B-CU a 26-21 advantage with eight to play in the half. 

A 7-0 Tigers run tied things up a 33-all, with Texas Southern taking advantage at the free throw line with 15 attempts through the first half. 

A tough and-one for Carter-Hollinger gave B-CU a 41-38 lead before a Kolby Granger layup at the buzzer made it a 1-point game at the half. 

Texas Southern had success offensively out of the half, but the Wildcats matched nearly shot-for-shot early as Harmon's three made it 52-46 at the 16 minute mark. 

Three minutes of scoreless ball for B-CU led to a 7-0 Tigers run capped off by a PJ Henry free throw that put Texas Southern up, 53-52, for their first lead of the second half. 

Damani McEntire's free throw following a flagrant foul tied things up once again at 65-65, Heady put the Cats in front again with two more from the charity stripe. 

A 10-2 run for B-CU put the cats up as much as 72-65, but the Tigers kept close, tying the contest again on a Grayson Carter and-one with 3:30 to play. They re-took the lead again on a free throw that made it 75-74. 

Two Zion Harmon free throws made it 79-75, but the Tigers answered with a trip to the line of their own to make it a two-point game once again, but they could not finish the deal as the Wildcats held on for the 83-79 victory.



"Our guys are starting to believe who we are and what we can be, as a team." 

"I'm seeing the team react and play together in ways that I didn't see in the beginning of the season. They are trusting each other and holding each other accountable - This is what we've been building for all season.

"I tell our guys all the time - winning is a learned process. Our guys are seeing what it takes for us to win. We have to play defense first, playing with confidence but continuing to play smart. 

"I still believe we have one more level of consciousness that we can go, and I think we can get there before the SWAC tournament in a few weeks."

• Zion Harmon led all scorers with 20 on 6-11 shooting with four assists and a steal.
• Dhashon Dyson scored 18, also on 6-11 shoowing, with five boards, an assist, and a steal.
• Jakobi Heady scored 17 on 6-13 shoowing with three boards, two assists, and three steals.
• DJ Carter-Hollinger rounded out the Wildcats in double figures, scoring 16 on 4-8 shooting with five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• B-CU scored 21 points off turnovers. 

   

The Wildcats will hit the road once again as they get set to face Alcorn State on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. EST from Lorman, Miss. 

Follow Bethune-Cookman Men's Basketball on Twitter (@BCUHoops) and Instagram (@BCU_Hoops) 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.