DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time since November 30, 2024, Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball returns home to Richard V. Moore Gymnasium this week as the Wildcats host a pair of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State.
 

What: Game Sixteen
Who: Bethune-Cookman (4-11, 1-2) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-11, 0-3)
When: Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 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 Seventeen
Who: Bethune-Cookman vs. Mississippi Valley State
When: Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3 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
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Mississippi Valley State is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
 

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 X/Twitter.
 

▪ Bethune-Cookman sits second in the SWAC in opponent scoring, allowing just 65 points per game from the opposition. The Cats are also third in scoring margin (-3.1).
▪ Junior forward Asianae Nicholson leads the Wildcats sits ninth in the league in scoring with an average of 11.7 points per game. She tops the SWAC in rebounding averaging 10.4 per contest.
▪ Freshman guard Janessa Kelley is now sixth in the league in three-point shooting, as the Pompano Beach, Florida native owns a 30.2 percent touch from long range, having connected on 19 of 63 overall.
▪ Daimoni Dorsey produced a career-high 19 points on a 7-for-12 effort from the field against Grambling State, adding four rebounds and four steals to her credit.
▪ Nicholson has registered a team-leading eight double-doubles on the campaign, including three in the last four outings.
▪ Camerah Langston, a junior from Chicago, saw her first action of the 2024-25 season last weekend in Louisiana, coming back from injury with four points, one assist and a block against Southern (La.) and Grambling, respectively.
▪ B-CU continues to deal with injuries as Karianna Woods and Chanelle McDonald missed last weekend's games in the "Bayou State", respectfully. McDonald has not played since November 30, while Woods has missed the last two games.
▪ Newcomers have supplied 52.9 percent of the Wildcats scoring this season, with two of the top four scorers being Nicholson and Kelley, respectfully.
 

RECAPPING B-CU'S LAST GAME (at Grambling State)
Daimoni Dorsey scored a career-high 19 points as Bethune-Cookman defeated Grambling State 70-52 in SWAC play at Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
Bethune-Cookman dominated the opening quarter building a commanding 23-8 lead through the first 10 minutes of play. The Wildcats set the tone early, with Jordan Brooks scoring the game's first basket on a layup assisted by Janessa Kelley. After Grambling State's Douthsine Prien three-point play briefly gave the Tigers their only lead of the game, Bethune-Cookman took control with a suffocating defensive effort that held GSU to just 12.5 percent shooting from the field in the period. Kelley provided an offensive spark for the Wildcats, connecting on two (2) three-pointers en route to six first quarter points. Kayla Clark was a force on both ends, grabbing eight rebounds (five offensive) while contributing six points, including a putback layup that pushed the lead to 15 points at the 3:31 mark.
 
With B-CU leading 23-8 entering the second quarter, Lydia Freeman made an early impact for Grambling, scoring a layup off an assist from Halima Salat to cut the Wildcats lead at 23-10. However, the Cats' Kayla White responded with a layup to extend their lead back to 15 points. The teams traded baskets, with B-CU maintaining their double-digit advantage throughout most of the stanza. GSU's Kahia Warmsley hit a fast-break pull-up jumper at the 7:50 mark. However, it would be Dorsey quickly answering on the other end with a jumper to extend the lead back to 18 points, 30-12.
 
Bethune-Cookman extended its lead over Grambling State in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 20-13 to take a 57-40 advantage into the final period. The Wildcats' defensive pressure stifled Grambling's offense throughout the quarter, holding the Tigers to just 15.8 percent shooting (3-of-19) from the field. Bethune-Cookman's Asianae Nicholson led the quarter's scoring with eight points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while also collecting three of her 12 rebounds on the day. Despite trailing by double digits for most of the period, GSU ran off a 6-0 run midway through the quarter that cut the deficit to six points, 39-33 – the closest the game had been since the opening period. The run was sparked by 15 offensive boards in the period for the Tigers. However, the visitors quickly regained control behind the play of Dorsey, finishing the quarter 2-for-2 from the field, including a crucial three-pointer, contributing six points to help maintain the advantage for B-CU.
 
The quarter's defining sequence came in its final minute when Bethune-Cookman's Nicholson converted both free throws on a fast break opportunity, pushing the lead to its largest margin of 17 points at 57-40. Kayla Clark dominated the glass for the Wildcats, pulling down four rebounds, including three off the offensive glass. The Tigers struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 7 of 16 attempts in the period, while Bethune-Cookman countered by hitting on 6 of 8 from the stripe.
 
Both teams struggled with ball security, as Grambling committed 19 turnovers while Bethune-Cookman had 22. The Tigers controlled the glass, pulling down 34 offensive rebounds, but converted those opportunities into just 19 second-chance points. GSU was led in scoring with 11 points each from Alyssa Phillip, Prien and Freeman, respectively. Phillip added 10 rebounds to complete her double-double.
 
B-CU received the career-high day from Dorsey with 19 points, followed in double figures by Nicholson (17) and Kelley (11). Clark's season-high 18 rebounds led the boards for the Maroon and Gold. And Nicholson completed her eighth double-double of the year – her second in as many games, by pulling in 12 rebounds. Brooks dished out five assists, while White also contributed five assists of her own despite struggling from the field (1-for-8).
 

BCU VS. UAPB SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman holds a slim 2-1 advantage over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the relatively short all-time series between the two teams.
▪ The Cats have won the previous two meetings, including a 73-70 win in Pine Bluff, Arkansas last season.
▪ UAPB won the first game of the series in Pine Bluff back on January 17, 2022.
▪ B-CU has won the only meeting in Moore Gymnasium by a 63-61 decision on January 16, 2023.
 
SCOUTING UAPB
▪ Arkansas-Pine Bluff is scoring at a 50.1 points per game clip, while allowing 65.4 points per contest in reverse.
▪ The Golden Lions are being outrebounded by opponents by 4.6 boards per game, pulling down 36.8 rebounds per contest, respectively.
▪ UAPB is turning the ball over 20 times per game as a team.
▪ D'arrah Allen leads the team in scoring with 106 points (13.3 ppg), followed closely by Kristyna Boyd with 102 points (7.8 ppg).
▪ Boyd is the team's leader in rebounds with 5.2 per game, while teammates Briontanay Marshall and Nadiyah Byard own a 4.6 rebounds per game average.
▪ The team leader in assists Jailah Pelly with 34 assists, also owning 25 steals and two blocked shots.
▪ The Golden Lions are shooting 63.8 percent from the foul line and using a 23.4 percent clip from three-point range.
▪ Allen is shooting 32.1 percent from long range and leads the squad with 17 three-pointers overall.
 
BCU VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman is 3-0 all-time in the series against Mississippi Valley State.
▪ The Wildcats won the only meeting in Daytona Beach back on January 24, 2023, using a 70-55 score line.
▪ B-CU claimed a 76-57 victory against the Delta Devilettes last season in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
▪ The series began with B-CU winning 78-74 in a tightly contested matchup on January 15, 2022.
 
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
▪ Mississippi Valley State arrives to Florida with a record of 2-13 overall, and a 1-3 mark in SWAC play.
▪ D'Yanna Maxey is 18th in the league in scoring with 145 points, turning in an average of 9.7 points per game. Maxey is also leading the squad in rebounds with 70 (4.7 rpg).
▪ The Delta Devilettes are 12th in the conference in scoring defense, as opponents are scoring an average of 79.7 points per game.
▪ MVSU is shooting 33.3 percent from the field, adding a 21.9 percent touch from three-point range. Additionally, the team shoots 67.8 percent from the free throw line.
▪ The Delta Devilettes are forcing 17.9 turnovers per game and turning the ball over at 19.2 turnovers per game.
▪ Jaylia Reed is scoring 6.3 points per game and sitting second on the team in that category, while she also shoots 21.5 percent from three-point land.
▪ Assists are setup by Jaeda Murphy (32).
▪ Defensively, Sh'Diamond McKnight tops the squad in steals with 24, followed by Maxey with 20 steals of her own.
 

B-CU travels to the "Magnolia State" to face Alcorn State (Jan. 23) and Jackson State (Jan. 25) in a pair of crucial SWAC contests.
 
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