DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball brings Alabama A&M and Alabama State to town for a pair of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contests this weekend as the Wildcats prepare to host "Senior Appreciation Day" on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Cats will honor senior Chanel Wilson immediately after the game against the Bulldogs, prior to the start of the men's game.
 
What: Game Twenty-Seven
Who: Bethune-Cookman (14-12, 5-8) vs. Alabama A&M (12-13, 7-6)
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
What: Game Twenty-Eight
Who: Bethune-Cookman vs. Alabama State (3-21, 3-10)
When: Monday, Feb. 26, at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Alabama A&M is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Alabama State is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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 Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman arrives to the weekend having dropped three consecutive games, but all by a combined 23 points – including a 52-39 setback at league-leading Jackson State.
▪ B-CU led the Tigers of JSU on Monday evening entering the fourth quarter.
▪ The Wildcats are set to honor graduate Chanel Wilson after the game for "Senior Appreciation Day" prior to the men's game against the Bulldogs.
▪ The Cats are still turning in 66.8 points per game despite being without the services of leading scorer Chanel Wilson for the last four weeks.
▪ Chanelle McDonald owns 123 rebounds (4.7 per game) to go along with 255 points (9.8 points per game).
▪ Kayla Clark has been back in the lineup for the Cats after she was out with illness, now owning 23 blocks on the season.
▪ Clark is also supplying the Cats with a team-leading 162 rebounds (8.5 per game) and 186 points (9.8 per game) across the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Kayla White supplied 13 points for Bethune-Cookman, as the Wildcats fell to Jackson State 52-39 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball game played inside Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center.
 
Bethune-Cookman led 33-32 heading into the fourth quarter. D'Shantae Edwards and Kayla Clark each scored five points in the third quarter, as the Wildcats outscored Jackson State 18-11 in the period.
 
Jackson State opened up a 23-17 lead with 6:54 left in the third, before Bethune-Cookman's Kayla White and Chariot Johnson went back-to-back with made baskets, followed by an Edwards three-pointer – her second of the year, to give the Cats a 24-23 edge.
 
The Tigers stepped back out in front, 30-28 with an Andriana Avent layup off a BCU turnover. The lead was quickly evaporated with Kayla Clark's putback layup to knot the game at 30-all. Chanelle McDonald's layup off the glass with three seconds remaining in the period put the Cats up 33-32 heading into the final quarter of play.
 
In the fourth, JSU scored 20 points – 10 of those coming from Ti'lan Boler, allowing the Tigers to remain unbeaten in the league. JSU began the quarter on a 12-0 run, kicked off by a Boler three-pointer, and capped off with an Angel Jackson driving layup to give the Tigers a 43-33 lead. After BCU's White connected on one of her two (2) three-pointers on the night, JSU then used an 8-2 run to push the Tigers lead out to 51-38 with 1:47 remaining.
 
The Tigers shot 7 of 11 from the field over the final period, while BCU was limited to just 2 of 17 from the floor. Bethune-Cookman trailed 21-15 at the half behind six first half points from White. Johnson also provided three points for the Wildcats in the opening half.
 
The Wildcats defense limited JSU to one of its worst shooting percentages in a half this season, as BCU forced the Tigers into connecting on just 18.8 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. The Cats also forced JSU into eight (8) first half turnovers, as BCU converted eight points off those turnovers, respectfully. The two teams were tied at 7 after the first period. In fact, the BCU defense did not allow JSU to hit its first three-pointer of the game until the fourth quarter.
 
Jackson State was led on the night by four players in double-figures scoring, including 12 from teammates Avent and Boler. Miya Crump finished with a double-double performance of 11 points and 11 rebounds, adding three steals on the night. And it was Jackson turning in 10 points and six rebounds. For BCU, the offense was led by White's game-high 13 points, as the Cleveland native also tallied four rebounds, two assists and two steals to her credit. Johnson and Clark each finished with seven points, while Clark also provided a team-high nine rebounds for the Maroon and Gold.
 
BCU VS. ALABAMA A&M SERIES
▪ Alabama A&M holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series against Bethune-Cookman.
▪ Last season, the two teams split a pair of regular season meetings, as the home teams won both contests, respectively. BCU claimed a 55-46 win on Jan. 30, 2023, inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
▪ AAMU took the first-ever meeting between the two teams, 89-73 in Daytona Beach, Florida back on Dec. 5, 1998.
▪ At home, BCU is 3-2 all-time against the Bulldogs.
▪ The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings including a 76-72 overtime decision earlier this month in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M
▪ Alabama A&M enters the weekend having won four of the last six games, including a win over B-CU earlier this month.
▪ In their last outing, the Bulldogs defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 67-59 in Huntsville.
▪ Amiah Simmons leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 381 points (15.2 ppg), all while adding 3.7 rebounds per game to go along with 59 assists on the year.
▪ Also averaging double-figures scoring for the Bulldogs is Kaylah Turner with 11.2 points per game, as she has poured in 279 points altogether.
▪ Alisha Wilson is a defensive presence for Alabama A&M with a team-leading 23 blocks and 32 steals, adding 9.5 rebounds per contest.
 
BCU VS. ALABAMA STATE SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman trails the series with Alabama State all-time by a 6-2 count in a series that dates back to 2002.
▪ The Wildcats won the first-ever meeting between the two sides courtesy an 80-61 decision on Dec. 28, 2002, in Daytona Beach.
▪ Alabama State's four wins consecutively in the series is the most by any team.
▪ Since joining the SWAC, BCU owns just a 1-5 record against the Hornets.
▪ The Hornets grabbed a thrilling 56-53 win over the Cats earlier this month in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE
▪ Alabama State arrives to Florida A&M before playing the Wildcats on Monday evening, as the Hornets arrive to the "Sunshine State" on a five-game losing skid.
▪ The last win for the Hornets was the 56-53 triumph over the Cats back on February 3.
▪ Alabama State is averaging 49.1 points per game on the year, while opponents are scoring at a 75.1 points per game clip against the Hornets.
▪ ASU is led in scoring by Cordasia Harris with 280 points (12.7 per game), followed by Whitney Dunn with 124 points (5.2 per game).
▪ The rebounds for ASU are supplied by Harris with a team-leading 193 (8.8 per game).
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman hits the road for two of its final three games of the year when the Wildcats visit Louisiana for a pair of SWAC games against Southern University (March 2) and Grambling State (March 4).
 
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