DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- After over a month on the road, Bethune-Cookman men's basketball returns to Moore Gymnasium to host two winless teams in SWAC play in Mississppi Valley State and Arkansas - Pine Bluff on Saturday and Monday, January 18 and 21 at 5:30 and 7 p.m., respectively. 

A pair of wins would secure the best start for the program since the 2017-18 season, when the Wildcats started MEAC play 5-0. 

Tickets for both games start at $10. They can be purchased at BCUAthletics.com/Tickets. The game will be streamed live at YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork



Saturday, January 18 | 5:30 p.m. EST
Opponent: Mississippi Valley State (2-15, 0-4 SWAC)
Time: 5:30 p.m. EST
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla. | Moore Gymnasium
Tickets: BCUAthletics.com/Tickets
Watch: YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork
Live Stats: bcuathletics.com/stats

Monday, January 20 | 7 p.m. EST
Opponent: Arkansas - Pine Bluff (3-13, 0-3 SWAC)
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla. | Moore Gymnasium
Tickets: BCUAthletics.com/Tickets
Watch: YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork
Live Stats: bcuathletics.com/stats



Southern led wire-to-wire as the the B-CU offense struggled in a 69-53 loss, Monday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. 

FIRST HALF

Southern raced in front, 9-0, holding Bethune-Cookman scoreless for nearly five minutes of play to open the game until Daniel Rouzan finally put B-CU on the board at the 15:29 mark in the first half. 

The Wildcats offense began to wake up, but Southern continued its barrage on the offensive end, pushing the lead to double digitson a Cam Amboree three ball that made it 18-8 nearly midway through the period. An 11-2 Jaguar run made it a 26-10 game with eight minutes to go in the half as the B-CU offense struggled to find its footing. 

B-CU finally found a bit of momentum with six straight on a pair of Brayon Freeman jumpers and a David Onanina offensive putback that made it a single-digit deficit at 26-18. 

Another Jags run, another 11-0 swing, set the Wildcats back 17 with a minute until the half. A late and-one by Rouzan made it a 16-point as the teams headed into the half. 

SECOND HALF

Southern's lead reached 20 out of the half as Dionjahe Thomas's jumper made it a 43-20 game. Rouzan's success offensively continued as he trimmed the lead to 15 with a fastbreak pull-up to make it 47-32. 

The Jaguars pushed the lead back up to 20 with 10 minutes to play on a Michael Jacobs layup. Kalil Camara cut the deficit to as low as 11 with a layup and three-pointer in the game's final five minutes, but that was all for B-CU as the Cats fell, 69-53 to drop to 2-1 in SWAC play. 




Mississippi Valley State has two wins on the season, both non-DI contests. The Delta Devils have fielded one of the toughest schedules in all of DI hoops, with losses at LSU, Tulsa, Utah, BYU, Kansas State, Texas, Missouri, and Iowa State all comprising the non-conference slate. MVSU has lost eight straight, including losses at Alabama State, Alabama A&M, and a pair of home losses to Prairie View and Texas Southern to open SWAC play. They are one of three winless SWAC teams in conference play.

MVSU fields the SWAC's lowest-scoring offense, averaging 53 points per game on 39 percent shooting and only 28 percent from three. They have been out-rebounded by an average of 10 boards per game. 

Junior guard Arthur Tate leads the Delta Devils at 10 points per game - the only Delta Devil in double figures. Senior forward Alvin Stredic leads the team on the boards with nearly five per game. 


UAPB is 3-13 on the year - with its only DI win coming over Central Arkansas, 84-78. The Golden Lions have lost three straight since the start of SWAC play, with losses at AAMU, Alabama State, and PVAMU prior to Saturday's contest at Florida A&M. 

The Golden Lions rank fifth in the SWAC in scoring, averaging 75 points per game on a conference-best 47 percent shooting and 33 percent from three. On the boards UAPB is out-rebounded by an average of five per game. 

Defensively, UAPB has struggled, allowing a SWAC-worst 91 points per game, with opponents shoowing nearly 50 percent against them. 

Since the start of SWAC play, UAPB has featured one of the most dynamic players in the conference in Doctor Bradley. The junior guard has averaged over 25 points over three games, with a combined 27 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and seven steals. 




Saturday marks the eighth meeting between MVSU and B-CU. The Wildcats have won six of seven, including six straight, with their last loss coming in December of 1980.

Monday marks the fourth meeting between UAPB and B-CU. B-CU has never beaten UAPB, having lost three straight dating back to their first meeting as SWAC opponents in 2022. 



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