DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman put four different players into double figures scoring Saturday afternoon in cruising to a 71-40 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball win over visiting Alabama State inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium on a "Hoops Homecoming" weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 

FIRST QUARTER
In a low-scoring opening quarter, Bethune-Cookman (7-14, 4-5 SWAC) established an early lead and never trailed in holding an 11-6 lead after the opening period. Chanelle McDonald scored the first points of the game on a layup assisted by Asianae Nicholson, putting B-CU up 2-0 at the 9:15 mark. The next several minutes featured both teams struggling to find offensive rhythm before Camerah Langston rattled home a jumper at the 5:37 mark, extending the lead to 4-0.
 
Alabama State (5-16, 3-6 SWAC) got on the board when Justina Graham grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a putback layup with 4:38 remaining, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The Wildcats quickly responded with Janessa Kelley, who knocked down two (2) three-pointers in quick succession. Her second shot from long range came in transition at the 2:23 mark, giving B-CU their largest lead of the quarter at 10-2.
 
SECOND QUARTER
Bethune-Cookman dominated the second quarter, outscoring Alabama State 17-7 to build a commanding 28-13 halftime lead. The Cats defense held the Hornets to just 15.4 percent shooting from the field in the second period, while the Maroon and Gold countered with a 46.2 percent clip of its own.
 
McDonald got things started for B-CU on the interior, scoring four quick points on a pair of field goals in the paint to help push the lead to seven points. Alabama State's Taylor Smith briefly stemmed the tide with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four, but McDonald answered right back with another basket inside off the assist from Shomari Phillips.
 
Nicholson provided a huge spark, scoring six straight points including two fast-break layups off Hornets turnovers. Freshman center Mya Johnson added to B-CU's advantage by making both free throws after being fouled, pushing the lead to 13 points. Classmate and point guard Jordan Brooks capped off the quarter with a pull-up jumper with 18 seconds remaining, giving the hosts their largest lead at 28-13.
 
THIRD QUARTER
The third quarter saw the Wildcats efficiency on the offensive end, shooting a blistering 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field – adding an 80 percent touch from three-point range (4-of-5).
 
Senior forward/center Kayla Clark got things started with an offensive rebound and putback to push the lead to 17. After an O'Mariyah Tucker tip-in for Alabama State – in her first return to Moore Gym after transferring away from the program last summer, B-CU's Clark struck again with a pull-up jumper to maintain the 17-point cushion.
 
Daimoni Dorsey converted two free throws after a steal, and Brooks followed with a fast-break jumper off a Dorsey assist. Nicholson then scored five quick points – including a fast-break layup and free throw – to push the lead to 39-18 with 7:18 remaining. McDonald later scored on a putback, Dorsey drilled a three-pointer, and Nicholson added another layup to make it 46-19. The Wildcats' ball movement was on display with nine assists on their 11 made baskets in the quarter.
 
The lead reached its peak at 38 points (58-20) when Phillips knocked down her first three-pointer of the afternoon from the right wing with 2:28 to play. The Hornets' Smith provided a late spark, connecting on a three-pointer and making a free throw to help reduce the deficit at 58-24 heading into the final period.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
Once again, it was Alabama State's Tucker getting the Hornets on the board first in the quarter with a layup. But on the other end, Nicholson connected on 1 of 2 at the charity stripe to push the lead back to 33 points at 59-26. The teams then traded baskets, with Tucker scoring again on a fast-break layup off a Smith assist following a Phillips turnover. McDonald made it 61-30 with a jumper just inside the paint with 6:08 showing on the clock.
 
Tucker drained a step-back three-pointer off Smith's assist with 4:09 left, cutting the deficit to 26 points at 61-35. However, BCU closed strongly behind Nicholson, who scored the team's final eight points, which included a layup assisted by Laila Lancaster.
                                

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Alabama State shot just 19.4 percent from the field for the game – the lowest mark by any SWAC opponent this season versus the Cats. The 40 points scored was also a season-low for a SWAC opponent against B-CU.
 
The Hornets were led offensively by Tucker's 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 
As for B-CU, Nicholson tallied her 12th double-double of the year on the strength of a game-high 18 points and 11 boards. Freshman guard Kelley provided 12 points on 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. And it was Brooks and McDonald each finishing the afternoon with 10 points apiece. Clark led all players with a game-high 12 rebounds and two blocks.
 
B-CU outscored the Hornets 22-7 in fast break opportunities, as well as a 24-14 edge in the paint.
 

Bethune-Cookman next travels to Houston, Texas for a matchup against the Tigers of Texas Southern in SWAC play Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT).
 
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