JACKSON, Miss. – Asianae Nicholson's 14 points and 10 rebounds secured her a 10th double-double of the season Saturday afternoon as Bethune-Cookman suffered a 64-47 defeat away to Jackson State inside Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) women's basketball contest near the top of the league standings.
 


FIRST QUARTER
Bethune-Cookman (6-12, 3-3) came into the day riding a three-game winning streak, but having never tasted victory over Jackson State in a more recent series that began in 2022 with the Wildcats' arrival to the SWAC.
 
Jackson State (8-10, 6-1 SWAC) shot just under 54 percent from the floor in the opening period, led in scoring by guard Leianya Massenat with five points. The Tigers turned six Bethune-Cookman turnovers into six points of their own, as they also supplied 10 points in the paint. After falling behind 9-4, Asianae Nicholson put back her own missed layup to trim the deficit, later followed by freshman point guard Jordan Brooks' layup off the steal by Daimoni Dorsey on the other end. After Brooks converted the free throw for the three-point play off the foul by JSU's Massenat, the Cats had tied the game at 9-all.
 
The homestanding Tigers would close the final 5:31 of the period on an 11-0 run – thanks in part to B-CU turnovers, while Zoe Cooper and Taleah Dilworth capitalized for the hosts, extending their lead at 20-9.
 
SECOND QUARTER
B-CU opened the second period with a 4-0 run as Kayla Clark and Nicholson went back-to-back for baskets in the paint. Janessa Kelley, another freshman for Janell Crayton Del Rosario's young squad, connected on her first three-pointer of the game with a jumper from the right side, allowing the visiting Wildcats to trim the lead, 20-16. After Clark stepped back for a jumper off the assist from Brooks, B-CU had trimmed an 11-point deficit down to two at 20-18 in just under three minutes.
 
JSU's Cooper scored five-straight points for the hosts, including a three-pointer from the top of the key, as the Tigers would run the lead back out to a 27-18 advantage – following Dilworth's driving layup with 3:13 remaining in the half. Cooper, finishing with seven points in the period, closed the half with a pair of free throws to give the Tigers a 32-22 lead at the break.
 
The Cats forced Jackson State into shooting just 28.6 percent from the field in the quarter, outscoring the Tigers by a 13-12 count.
 
THIRD QUARTER
The two teams traded baskets to begin the third quarter, as Bethune-Cookman's Nicholson kicked off the half with a layup off the glass, as well as Kelley following suit in the B-CU scoring with a three-point play – completing the free throw after drawing the foul and layup. After the Pompano Beach, Florida native brought the Cats to within 35-27, the Tigers got a three-pointer from Tierney Kelsey off the bench to extend another 7-0 JSU run that saw the hosts go back out to a 42-27 lead.
 
The Wildcats were able to cut into the lead again with a run of their own after another Kelley three-pointer and a three-point swing from Clark on the inside and at the free throw line, bringing their side to within 42-33 with 3:36 remaining in the quarter. Kelley led the Maroon and Gold with six points while the Cats struggled to find the shooting touch from the field, connecting on just 5 of 17 in the period.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
Bethune-Cookman was unable to get the lead back to single digits the rest of the way, as Nicholson supplied six of the team's 12 points in the period. Clark recorded the other six points, respectfully, as 10 of the Wildcats' 12 points came inside the point.
 
Meanwhile, JSU shot 60 percent from the floor over the course of the final 10 minutes, allowing the Tigers to build a 21-point lead after Dilworth's pull-up shot was good off the fastbreak with 1:50 showing on the clock. The Cats countered by connecting on 6-for-17 from the field, but struggled from outside with a 0-for-5 mark in the period.
                                


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
JSU was led on the day by three players in double figures scoring, including Dilworth with a game-high 19-point performance that included 11 of 12 at the free throw line. Cooper ended the game with 13, and it was Diaka Berete finishing with 10 points off the bench. Massenat had a team-high seven rebounds for the Tigers.
 
B-CU was paced by Nicholson's 10th double-double effort of 14 points and 10 rebounds (six offensive). Clark poured in a team-high 15 points and pulled in six boards of her own. And it was Kelley touching double figures with 11 points, adding two steals defensively as well.
 
The Cats were limited to just 2 of 16 shooting from long range and attempted a season-low six (6) free throws throughout the contest.
 


Bethune-Cookman travels to southwest Mississippi on Monday afternoon in a game rescheduled due to snowy weather in Lorman, as the Wildcats take on the Alcorn State Braves at 4 p.m. ET.
 


Follow Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball on X/Twitter (@BCUWBB) and Instagram (@BCU_WBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.