LORMAN, Miss. – A 0-for-11 first quarter set the tone for Bethune-Cookman's shooting woes Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats dropped a key 51-40 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball contest away to Alcorn State inside Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
Bethune-Cookman (14-11, 5-7 SWAC) struggled to find the shooting touch in the first half, as the Wildcats opened the game 0 of 11 from the field in the first quarter.
 
After D'Shantae Edwards opened the scoring with a pair of made free throws, the Wildcats went scoreless for more than five minutes as Alcorn State (6-17, 4-8 SWAC) embarked upon a 7-2 lead. Despite failing to connect on a first quarter field goal, the Wildcats managed to stay in the game thanks in part to a 6-for-12 showing at the free throw line.
 
The second period did not see the shooting touch improve much for the Wildcats, still playing without the services of the team's top scorer Chanel Wilson for what is now the seventh consecutive game due to injury.
 
Chariot Johnson connected on a pull-up jumper from the elbow to cut the Wildcats deficit at 15-13. However, Alcorn's Destony Brown scored six (6) second quarter points to help the Braves take an 18-15 lead into the half.
 
In the opening half, Bethune-Cookman shot just 3-for-23 (13 percent) from the field – missing all nine (9) three-point attempts. Alcorn countered with a 7 of 21 showing from the field, while also holding a 14-8 edge on the glass.
 
The Cats got off to a slow start in the third quarter with Alcorn going on an early 8-0 run to push the Braves lead out to as many as 15 points (31-16). Alcorn was able to knock down six field goals in the third quarter despite the Wildcats finally breaking through to hit 33.3 percent of their shots in the period.
 
The Braves held a 37-26 advantage after three quarters of play, thanks largely in part to a 10-point period from Brown, as the Los Angeles native hit on 4 of 5 shots, adding two free theows as well.
 
Overall, in the second half, Alcorn's combination of Brown and Nakia Cheatham combined for 23 points.
 
BCU attempted to battle back in the fourth quarter, matching the Braves in scoring for the first time on the day with 14 points in the frame. Edwards came alive late with five of her eight points on the night coming in the second half.
 
The Braves were led in scoring by Brown's 20-point showing, as she added 10 rebounds to complete her double-double. Cheatham finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double of her own.
 
BCU was sparked in scoring by Edwards' eight.
 
For BCU, the 40 points scored was its lowest offensive output of the season.
 
With the Wildcats entering the game as one of the best teams in the league in turnover-to-assist ratio, Head Coach Janell Crayton's side was limited to a season-low one (1) assist while committing 19 turnovers on the day.
 
The Cats look to rebound Monday, Feb. 19, when traveling to Jackson State with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET. The Cats fell in their last matchup against the Tigers, an 81-65 setback inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium back on January 27.
 
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