TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play this weekend when the Wildcats visit a familiar foe in the form of Florida A&M on Saturday, Jan. 6, at Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
 
What: Game Thirteen
Who: Bethune-Cookman (3-9, 0-0 SWAC) at Florida A&M (3-8, 0-0 SWAC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 5, at 4 p.m.
Where: Tallahassee, Fla. – Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center (9,639)
Watch: Rattlers+
Listen: CatEye Network
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Tickets: Purchase Tickets Online
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Florida A&M 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 X/Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman sits second in the SWAC in scoring margin (-3.3) and third in defense allowing 65.7 points per game. The Cats opponent field goal percentage is tops in the league as well allowing just 39.5 percent from their opponents.
▪ Asianae Nicholson is tied for seventh in the SWAC in scoring (11.3 ppg) while leading the conference in rebounding (10.4 rpg).
▪ Junior guard Karianna Woods leads the Wildcats with 25 assists.
▪ Senior guard Shomari Phillips has emerged as B-CU's top three-point shooter, connecting on a team-high 14 shots from long range on the campaign. Freshman Janessa Kelley is just behind her with 13 three-pointers.
▪ Nicholson has collected a SWAC-leading six (6) double-doubles across the season, including three in her last four outings.
▪ Head Coach Janell Crayton Del Rosario is set to embark upon her 100th game at the helm of the B-CU program this weekend.
▪ Under Crayton Del Rosario, Bethune-Cookman is 2-1 in the first game of a new calendar year – with all games coming against Florida A&M, respectfully.
▪ Junior guard Daimoni Dorsey has developed into a scoring threat for the Cats this season, as the Baltimore, Maryland native has scored in double figures a career-high five times. She's also started in 11 of 12 games for the Maroon and Gold.
 
BCU VS. FLORIDA A&M SERIES
▪ Florida A&M leads the all-time series, 56-40, which dates back to the first recorded game in 1977.
▪ Bethune-Cookman has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
▪ The two sides split the season meetings last year, with the home team holding serve as B-CU collected an 80-76 decision in Daytona Beach. FAMU took a 69-65 win in Tallahassee.
▪ From 2017-20, the Cats won nine consecutive meetings, including one in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament in Norfolk, Virginia.
 
SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M
▪ Florida A&M sits 3-8 overall on the season with wins against North Florida, Samford and Thomas (Ga.), respectfully.
▪ The Rattlers have won their last three games coming into the weekend, sporting a 2-2 home record for the season thus far.
▪ FAMU is shooting 41.4 percent from the field as a team, as well as 28.9 percent from beyond the arc.
▪ Cheyenne McEvans leads the SWAC in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Teammate Sydney Hendrix is fifth in the league with an average of 11.9 points per contest.
▪ McEvans leads the Rattlers in three-pointers (15), followed closely by D'Mya Griffin (14).
▪ Hendrix tops the squad and ranks seventh in the SWAC in rebounding turning in an average of 7.2 boards per game.
▪ Setting up the offense is Tahnyjia Purifoy with 20 assists, while McEvans owns 18 assists and a team second-most matching 18 steals.
▪ Zikeyah Carter has a team-leading 10 blocked shots in just two games after sitting out the beginning of the season due to transfer rules.
 
RECAPPING B-CU'S LAST GAME (at Campbell)
Three different Wildcats scored in double figures, but it was not enough as Campbell defeated visiting Bethune-Cookman 64-50 inside Gilbert Craig Gore Arena in Buies Creek, North Carolina.
 
The Wildcats shot 60 percent from the field during the opening 10 minutes, as a Clark jumper in the paint saw the visitors take an early 5-2 lead. But the Campbell Camels responded quickly with a 7-0 run, thanks in large part to Jasmine Felton with four points during the stretch, as well as guard Audrey Fuller's putback tip-in allowing the hosts an 11-5 advantage with under five minutes remaining in the quarter. After the Camels pushed the lead to 15-7, B-CU answered with a run of its own using Kelley and Nicholson over the next three minutes. Kelley scored four consecutive points – two coming at the free throw line, followed by a Clark layup to knot the game at 15-15 in an 8-0 Cats run. Campbell's Ciara Alexander put in a basket off the glass to give the Camels a 17-15 lead at the end of the period.
 
The Cats took an 18-17 lead with 8:24 remaining in the half when Phillips' three-pointer from the right elbow gave the visitors their first lead since 5-4 back in the first quarter. With B-CU leading 27-26, point guard Karianna Woods drove the paint for two of her five points on the day to extend the lead at 29-26. Campbell closed the half on a 4-0 run with a pair of layups from Fuller and Gianni Boone, respectively, allowing the Camels a 30-29 lead at the half. Trailing 31-29 following a free throw from Boone, Bethune-Cookman embarked upon an 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon, 37-31.
 
Daimoni Dorsey put in her first two points of the game, followed a minute later with a driving layup from Woods to give the Maroon and Gold a 33-31 advantage. Woods, a junior from Ann Arbor, Michigan, connected on 1 of 2 at the foul line, while Kelley hit her first three-pointer of the day to put the Cats up 37-31 at the under-five media timeout. Campbell's top scorer Courtney Dahlquist got going with four points in the final four minutes of the period. And teammate Felton hit her first shot of the game from long range in the period as well. The lead went-back-and-forth over the final two minutes before Olivia Tucker's fastbreak layup put the Camels ahead for good at 44-43 with 15 seconds left.
 
Campbell held the Wildcats to just seven points over the course of the final 10 minutes, while the Wildcats were limited to just a 15.4 percent shooting touch from the floor with a 2-for-13 effort.  The Camels countered with a 36.8 percent clip on 7-for-19 shooting in the final quarter. Leading 50-47 with five minutes left, the hosts closed the game on a 14-3 run en route to the final 64-50 score line. Gemma Núñez added eight points in the final quarter for the Camels.
 
Campbell used a game-high 14 points from Boone finishing 5 of 8 shooting from the field, also connecting on 4 of 7 from the foul line. Alexander and Núñez each added 12 points, while Fuller supplied her side with four points, five rebounds and three steals. Bethune-Cookman was led offensively by Kelley, Nicholson and Phillips with 10 points each. Kelley was 2-for-4 from long range, and Phillips was 2 of 6 from beyond the arc. Nicholson collected her sixth double-double of the year with 10 rebounds, respectfully. Dorsey provided seven rebounds, three assists and three steals from her guard position.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats continue road duties in SWAC play when visiting Southern University (Jan. 9) and Grambling State (Jan. 11) in a Louisiana swing.
 
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