DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Asianae Nicholson tallied her 19th double-double of the season, and Kayla Clark registered 14 points for Bethune-Cookman on Thursday evening with the Wildcats falling 71-59 to visiting Grambling State in a tightly contested Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball contest inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. B-CU wore pink jerseys and warmups for the game in its annual recognition and support of breast cancer awareness.
 

FIRST QUARTER
In a quarter that featured four lead changes and four ties, Grambling State (12-14, 9-6 SWAC) capitalized on a late surge to build a five-point cushion heading into the second period. Bethune-Cookman's Asianae Nicholson led all scorers with nine points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting while adding five rebounds. Senior center Kayla Clark contributed six points for the Wildcats, including a pair of free throws midway through the quarter that briefly gave Bethune-Cookman (9-19, 6-10 SWAC) an 11-8 lead.
 
Grambling State countered with balanced scoring, led by Douthsine Prien's six points that featured connected on both of her shots from the field. Arianna Mosley matched Prien with six points off the bench, including a momentum-shifting three-pointer with 2:14 remaining that pushed Grambling ahead 17-13. The visiting Tigers shot an even 50 percent (8-of-16) from the field while connecting on 5-of-6 free throw attempts. B-CU countered with a 46.7 percent clip (7-of-15) of its own.
 
After a Nicholson layup trimmed the Grambling lead at 18-17 with 1:01 left in the quarter, the Tigers closed on a 4-0 run. Alyssa Phillip pulled up and connected don her jumper just inside the paint after securing the offensive board, followed by Prien's fastbreak layup in the final seconds that provided the quarter's final margin.
 
SECOND QUARTER
Clark led the Wildcats' second-quarter surge, scoring eight of her 14 opening half points in the period by hitting on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. The Miami, Florida native also showcased her defensive prowess with two blocks that disrupted Grambling's interior offense.
 
The Tigers, who built a 40-29 advantage with 2:21 remaining in the quarter, relied on balanced scoring with six different players contributing to their 18-point output. GSU center Lydia Freeman was a force off the bench for her side, connecting on both her field goal attempts for four points in just over four minutes of action.
 
Bethune-Cookman's Shomari Phillips, returning to the lineup after a spell on the sidelines with a lower extremity injury, provided critical outside shooting, knocked down a pair of three-pointers to help the Wildcats chip away at the deficit. The Cats closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by Clark's step-back jumper with one second remaining that trimmed the Tigers' lead to 40-36 heading into the locker room at the break. As a unit, the Wildcats amassed six assists on their eight field goals, with Kayla White dishing out four of those assists.
 
THIRD QUARTER
The Tigers pushed their lead to as many as 10 points (48-38) midway through the quarter before the Wildcats rallied late to close the gap. Both teams shot an identical 25 percent from the field in what became a defensive battle.
 
Grambling made just 5 of 20 shots while Bethune-Cookman connected on a mere 2 of 8 attempts, relying instead on free throws to keep pace. Freeman led the Grambling attack with six points in the quarter – continuing to be a force for the visitors on the inside, including a basket with 2:26 remaining that pushed the lead back to 50-42 after Bethune-Cookman had trimmed the deficit to six. Despite limited minutes in the period, Freeman connected on 3-for-4 from the field with five rebounds before being assessed a technical foul for taunting with 1:13 left in the period. Kahia Warmsley provided yet another spark for the Tigers with a three-pointer at the 1:17 mark off an assist from Shaniah Nunn, extending Grambling's lead back out to double digits at 53-43.
 
For Bethune-Cookman, Phillips sprinkled in four points in the period, including a layup in the final seconds off another White assist that cut the lead to six heading into the final period. The Wildcats struggled to generate offense against Grambling's defense, going over six minutes without a field goal to start the quarter. Nicholson pulled down seven of her game-high 19 rebounds in the period for the Wildcats while adding three points from the free-throw line.
 
The Maroon and Gold was hampered by eight turnovers in the quarter, including a pair of 10-second violations. Grambling capitalized on those miscues, scoring six points off turnovers. The game's physical nature continued with 12 fouls called in the period. B-CU went 7-of-12 from the charity stripe, while Grambling finished 2-for-2 on free throws.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
The Tigers, who led 53-47 entering the fourth period, relied heavily on Freeman in the post to extended their advantage throughout the quarter. Freeman's yielded a 2-of-3 performance from the field, in addition to a perfect 3-of-3 showing at the free throw line down the stretch.
 
Bethune-Cookman struggled offensively in the quarter, accounting for just a 3-of-12 field goal margin (25 percent) while Grambling shot at a 42.9 percent clip (6-of-14).
 
After Sharonica Hartsfield opened the quarter with her mid-range jumper to push Grambling's lead to eight, the Tigers methodically built their advantage. Freeman's tip-in layup at the 7:45 mark extended the lead to double digits at 57-47, and the visitors maintained control from there. Nicholson, who finished with three points and four rebounds in the quarter, tried to keep the Wildcats within striking distance. Phillips connected on another three-pointer with 4:19 remaining to cut the deficit to nine, but GSU's Warmsley immediately answered with a floating jumper that halted the Wildcats comeback attempt.
 
Freeman, who grabbed four rebounds in the quarter including three offensive boards, delivered the decisive blow with 1:53 remaining. After grabbing the offensive rebound, she converted a layup and subsequent free throw to push Grambling's lead to 14 points at 68-54. The Wildcats made one final push in the closing minute as guard Daimoni Dorsey toed the line and converted on two free throws to cut the deficit to 10, but Grambling's Prien sealed the win for the visitors at the line despite an uncharacteristic 2-of-6 free throw performance in the quarter.
 


GSU was led in scoring by Freeman's 21-point outburst as she finished 9 of 11 from the field, and pulling in a team-high 12 boards. Prien also touched double-digits for the Tigers with 10, while she also contributed four assists and four steals.
 
Nicholson's ninth consecutive double-double featured a team-high 17 points and season-best 19 rebounds. It moves her into sole possession of second place nationally for double-doubles at least until Sunday when Illinois next plays. Clark contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, despite being held scoreless in the second half. Phillips finished with 13 points – one shy of her season-high of 14, which included hitting on 3-for-6 from long range. White had five assists to lead all players in that category, and Clark also had a solid defensive night with three blocked shots
 


B-CU next faces off against Southern University on Saturday, March 1, back inside Moore Gymnasium. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
 


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