DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - For the second straight season, the Wildcats are off to a 3-1 start in Southwestern Athletic Conference play after an 83-58 beat-down of Missisissippi Valley State, Saturday night at Moore Gymnasium.
FIRST HALF
Bethune-Cookman (6-11, 3-1 SWAC) blitzed Mississippi Valley State (2-16, 0-5 SWAC) right after tip, as five early points from
Trey Thomas and a
Daniel Rouzan bucket made it a quick 7-0 lead for the Wildcats.
That lead quickly grew to 17-5, thanks to the return of
Gianni Hunt, who's three ball at the 13-minute mark made it a 12-point lead for B-CU in the early goings.
A Hunt layup and
Kalil Camara three made it 27 points for the Wildcats before MVSU even cracked double-digits. The barrage continued as Davie Onanina's fast break contested layup made it 31-9 with seven to play in the half.
The Cats led by as much as 24 in the first half, heading to the break up 42-21. B-CU held Mississippi Valley State to 8-26 from the floor and 1-6 from three in the first half, while themselves shooting 62 percent from the floor and 5-10 from deep.
SECOND HALF
Seven straight Delta Devil points made it a 14-point deficit for MVSU at 42-28 before B-CU returned the favor with nine straight - including two Thomas threes - to make it 51-28.
B-CU never led by less than 18 in the second half, while leading by as much as 27 - 77-50 - on yet another
Trey Thomas three with three minutes to play.
A late tip-in dunk from Jarell Love off a Thomas miss put a bow on a the 83-58 win.
- Trey Thomas poured on a career-high 22 points on 9-12 shooting with four threes, three rebounds, and two assists.
- Daniel Rouzan added 13 points with five boards.
- Gianni Hunt, making his return from injury, scored 11 on 4-7 shooting with four assists and three steals.
- Reggie Ward jr. scored 10 points with eight boards, five assists, and a steal.
- Four different Wildcats swiped at least two steals.
- 22 assists in the game marks a season-high for B-CU.
- The Wildcats scored 30 points off the bench - a season-high.
- A win over UAPB Monday night would cement a 4-1 SWAC start for B-CU - the best conference start for the Wildcats since 2017-18, when B-CU started MEAC play 5-0. They finished the season 12-4 in conference play.
The Wildcats host UAPB on Monday, January 20 at 7 p.m. Student admission is free, with general admission tickets starting at $10. The game will be broadcast live for free at YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork.
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