DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With a potential spot in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball Tournament looming on the horizon, Bethune-Cookman welcomes both Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern to Richard V. Moore Gymnasium this weekend with tournament aspirations on the line for all involved.
 
What: Game Twenty-Three
Who: Bethune-Cookman (13-9, 4-5) vs. Prairie View A&M (9-10, 5-4)
When: Saturday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (1,000)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Live Stats: Click Here
 
What: Game Twenty-Four
Who: Bethune-Cookman (13-9, 4-5) vs. Texas Southern (4-16, 3-6)
When: Monday, Feb. 12, at 5:30 p.m.
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
▪ Prairie View A&M is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Texas Southern 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.
 
FAN INFORMATION/PROMOTIONS
▪ Doors open one hour prior to tip-off at the North entrance of Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
▪ The clear bag policy is in effect for all Bethune-Cookman Athletics events.
▪ Theme (vs. Prairie View A&M): Play for Kay & Pink Day
▪ All fans are encouraged to wear pink alongside Bethune-Cookman's support for the Kay Yow Foundation in the fight against breast cancer as the Wildcats support breast cancer awareness.
▪ Theme (vs. Texas Southern): Black-Out
▪ All fans are encouraged to wear black as Bethune-Cookman turns Moore Gym dark after hours.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ The Wildcats welcome back a number of faces to the rotation this weekend, as Bethune-Cookman played the last two games with just seven available players due to injury and illness alike.
▪ Playing considerable minutes for the first time in their career, both Chariot Johnson and Gabriela Stevens provided the Cats with quality minutes on the road to Alabama State and Alabama A&M, respectively.
▪ In an overtime loss to AAMU, Bethune-Cookman used five players for more than 38 minutes each on the night.
▪ The Wildcats come into the weekend with a 13-9 overall record, and sit tied for seventh in the SWAC at 4-5 – tied alongside in-state foe Florida A&M.
▪ Bethune-Cookman enters the weekend a game ahead of Texas Southern and just a half-game ahead of Alabama State for the final spot in the SWAC Tournament which takes place in a month.
▪ The Maroon and Gold are shooting 39.6 percent from the field and scoring at a 69.1 points per game clip.
▪ Chanelle McDonald is leading the team with 232 points (10.5 per game), followed closely by Chanel Wilson with 228 points (12.7 ppg) – despite the latter having missed the last four games.
▪ Kayla White has scored in double-figures for the Wildcats in each of the last four games, including back-to-back season-high matching 16-point outbursts against Alabama State and Alabama A&M.
▪ Karianna Woods registered a career-high 26 points on 9 of 18 shooting from the field at Alabama A&M in her last outing, adding eight rebounds and a steal in the contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Playing with just seven available players – five of whom have now seen action for more than 35 minutes in consecutive games, Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball suffered a second consecutive tough SWAC road defeat, falling in overtime at Alabama A&M, 76-72 inside the AAMU Event Center.
 
For the second consecutive game, Bethune-Cookman fought until the last possession, despite playing with an extremely limited roster – one that includes all five starters playing 38 minutes or more on the night.
 
The Wildcats trailed 52-43 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Falling behind 54-43 moments into the period, Kayla White helped BCU kickstart a 7-0 run – all of the points coming courtesy of the Cleveland native. After Kerrighan Dunn drained a three-pointer from the top of the key, the Cats were within 56-53 with 7:19 remaining in regulation. Alabama A&M would keep the lead between a three- and five-point margin on the strength of Alisha Wilson and Asianae Nicholson until another White pull-up jumper knotted the game at 62-all with 3:22 left. Karianna Woods would tie the game at 65-65 when she hit on a three-pointer – one of six on the night for the Maroon and Gold.
 
After trailing by as many as 16 at one point in the third quarter, BCU took its first lead since the second quarter after White netted a floating jumper just outside the paint. Darian Burgin would send the game into overtime with her putback layup with 35 seconds left in regulation. Bethune-Cookman had a chance to win it in regulation, but a D'Shantae Edwards jumper rimmed out and the game went to overtime tied at 67.
 
The homestanding Bulldogs connected on 3 of 9 shots from the field in the overtime period and converted 3-for-4 from the free throw line to secure the win. With BCU playing just five players for most of the game – and without a substitution for much of the third and fourth quarters extending into overtime, Herad Coach Janell Crayton was forced to rely on her starters to push past exhaustion. The Cats eventually were limited to two baskets in overtime, missing all three (3) three-point attempts in the process. When Edwards picked up her fifth foul with 16 seconds remaining, Wilson hit one of her two free throw attempts, putting the Bulldogs lead at 74-72. BCU had a chance to tie or take the lead, but a White jumper missed off the side of the rim.
 
Alabama A&M held a 36-26 lead at the half.
 
The Bulldogs limited BCU to just 29.2 percent shooting from the field in the opening half, while connecting on 38.9 percent shooting themselves. On the night, Alabama A&M dominated points in the paint as BCU was without the services of Kayla Clark, using a 54-28 advantage in the post. The host Bulldogs also outrebounded the Cats by a 54-36 margin for the game.
 
Alabama A&M was charged in scoring by four players in double-digits, including a 17-point night from Amiah Simmons, adding six rebounds and four assists. Kaylah Turner and Wilson each netted 15 points, with the latter pulling in a game-high 18 rebounds as well. Burgin finished with 12 points of her own. BCU was led by a career-high 26 points from Karianna Woods, with the Ann Arbor, Michigan native shooting 9 of 18 from the floor with a 7-for-10 effort from the charity stripe. White finished the night with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Dunn had 13 points to round out players in double-figures for the Wildcats.
 
BCU VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M SERIES
▪ The all-time series between Bethune-Cookman and Prairie View A&M stands at an even 2-2 as the teams prepare to face each other for just the fifth time in history this weekend.
▪ The two teams first met on November 19, 2016, with the Panthers of Prairie View taking a 66-64 decision from the Wildcats in Prairie View, Texas.
▪ BCU and PVAMU have met just once each year over the course of the last two seasons, as the road team has won each of those respective contests.
▪ Bethune-Cookman grabbed a 77-52 win over the Panthers at home in Moore Gym on Nov. 20, 2017.
▪ Last season, BCU earned a 59-49 victory in Texas.
 
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
▪ Eyeing a spot in the SWAC Tournament, Prairie View A&M arrives to Daytona Beach as part of a three-way tie for fourth, as the Panthers hold a league record of 5-4 on the year. Overall, the Panthers are 9-10 having dropped their last contest at home to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 77-48.
▪ Prior to the loss to UAPB, Prairie View had won four games consecutively, including a hard-fought 78-65 win over in-state and league rival Texas Southern.
▪ The Panthers average 63.6 points per game, while opponents are scoring at a 68.4 points per game average.
▪ Prairie View is shooting 39 percent from the field as a team, including a 23 percent clip from three-point territory.
▪ Opponents are outrebounding the Panthers just slightly, as Prairie View averages 34.8 boards per game as opposed to opponents' 35.4 average.
▪ The brunt of the scoring is handled by Ryann Payne who turns in an average of 15.3 points per game, while teammate Gerlyn Smith averages 7.1 points per contest in a distance second on the team in the scoring column.
▪ The rebounds are handled by a trio of Panthers – Amauri Williams (88), Gerlyn Smith (86) and Adreanna Waddle (86).
▪ Payne has handed out a team-high 43 assists with Jayda Bowen having distributed 31.
▪ While it's Payne leading the squad in three-pointers with 15, Jessica Soders is close behind her with 13 three-point field goals and shooting 26.5 percent from beyond the arc.
 
BCU VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES
▪ In what is a very short-lived history between the two schools this far, Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against Texas Southern, 2-0.
▪ BCU claimed the inaugural meeting by a 71-67 count back on Feb. 7, 2022, in Daytona Beach.
▪ The Wildcats won last year's meeting courtesy a 66-62 scoreline in Houston.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN
▪ Texas Southern arrives to the "Sunshine State" to play Florida A&M on Saturday, Feb. 10, before venturing to Daytona Beach on Monday, Feb. 12.
▪ The Tigers hold a record of 4-16 overall and sit 3-6 in league play – sitting just outside the top eight for a potential SWAC Tournament seeding in next month's event.
▪ Texas Southern has lost five of its last six games heading to Tallahassee, Florida, including a tough 78-65 setback in the Tigers last outing against in-state rival Prairie View A&M on the road.
▪ TXSO is scoring just 58 points per game and allowing 72.4 points per contest counter to that.
▪ The Tigers are shooting 34.7 percent from the floor, and 69.9 percent from the foul line for the year.
▪ However, Texas Southern is turning the ball over right at 21 times per game.
▪ In the points column, it's Taniya Lawson leading all Tigers with an average of 11.5 points per game, followed closely by Daeja Holmes at 10.6 points per game.
▪ Four different players have knocked down double-digit three-pointers for the Tigers, led on the season by Holmes with 22.
▪ Jaida Belton is the leading rebounder for the Tigers with 138 (6.9 per game), and it's Holmes and Lawson sparking the team with 37 and 36 assists each, respectively.
 
UP NEXT
It is the first of three return series of games for the Wildcats, as Bethune-Cookman visits the "Magnolia State" with stops to Alcorn State (Feb. 17) and league-leading Jackson State (Feb. 19) in Mississippi.
 
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