HOUSTON – Bethune-Cookman Women's Basketball travels to the "Lone Star State" for two Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) games against Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M, beginning Thursday, Feb. 6, in Houston, Texas. The duo of league contests will be critical as teams battle for position in next month's SWAC Tournament in Atlanta.
 

What: Game Twenty-Two
Who: Bethune-Cookman (7-14, 4-5) at Texas Southern (10-10, 9-0)
When: Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Houston, Texas – Health & Physical Education Arena (8,100)
 
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What: Game Twenty-Three
Who: Bethune-Cookman at Prairie View A&M
When: Saturday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Prairie View, Texas – William J. Nicks Building (4,000)
 
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IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Texas Southern is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
▪ Prairie View 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.
 

▪ After dropping three games in a row, Bethune-Cookman bounced back with a 71-40 win over Alabama State in its last outing last weekend in Daytona Beach.
▪ Junior forward Asianae Nicholson leads the SWAC with 12 double-doubles on the campaign, including back-to-back outings last week/weekend versus Alabama A&M and Alabama State, respectively.
▪ Freshman guard Janessa Kelley is B-CU's leading three-point shooter with 27 made from long range, followed by senior transfer Shomari Phillips (20).
▪ Phillips, a guard from Winter Haven, Florida, is returning to her former school – Texas Southern, for the first time since arriving in Daytona Beach over the summer of 2024.
▪ Redshirt senior Cassandra Hawthorne had a season-high matching three made field goals last week against Alabama A&M, finishing the game 3-for-3 from the floor.
▪ Freshman point guard Jordan Brooks played every second of B-CU's game at home to Alabama A&M last week, turning in four assists and three rebounds against the Bulldogs.
▪ Kayla Clark, a senior center from Miami, recorded her fourth double-digit rebounding effort of the year with 12 boards against Alabama State, also scoring six points on 3-for-7 shooting.
▪ With four assists in her last outing against Alabama State, junior guard Daimoni Dorsey passed out a season-best tying four assists and captured five steals against the Hornets.
▪ The B-CU defense limited Alabama State to 19.4 percent shooting in their last outing, the lowest output by a Division I opponent this season. The Cats also held the Hornets to just 13 first half points – matching the lowest first half output by an opponent this year, as South Alabama also had 13 points in the opening 20 minutes.
 

RECAPPING B-CU'S LAST GAME (vs. Alabama State)
Bethune-Cookman put four different players into double figures scoring in cruising to a 71-40 SWAC win over visiting Alabama State inside Moore Gymnasium on a "Hoops Homecoming" weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
In a low-scoring opening quarter, Bethune-Cookman 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 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

BCU VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman leads a short series by a 2-1 count, with all three games taking place since the Wildcats entered the SWAC.
▪ Last season, Texas Southern collected a 65-64 win in Daytona Beach.
▪ B-CU won the last meeting in Houston by a 66-62 count on Feb. 6, 2023.
▪ The Wildcats won the first-ever encounter between the two teams with a 71-67 score line in Daytona Beach on Feb. 7, 2022.
 

SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN
▪ Texas Southern comes into the Bethune-Cookman game sporting an even 10-10 overall record, and an unblemished 9-0 mark in SWAC play.
▪ The Tigers have won their last nine outings including a 69-67 win over Alabama State on January 27.
▪ TSU uses the combination of Courtlyn Loudermill (12.7 ppg) and Aylasia Fantroy (12.6 ppg) to lead the scoring line.
▪ Loudermill leads the Tigers with 43 three-pointers, hitting on 30.5 percent of her shots from long range.
▪ Three different Tigers have produced 100 rebounds or more, led at the top by Jaida Belton (142) and Fantroy (124). Deivejon Harris is third on the team in boards with 115.
▪ Aaliyah Henderson is the playmaker with 46 assists under her belt, also owning 39 steals on the defensive end of the court.
▪ The Tigers are scoring 68.6 points per game, and opponents are scoring at a 71 points per game clip.
▪ TSU is forcing opponents into 18.8 turnovers per game, using 10.3 steals per game in the process.
 

BCU VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M SERIES
▪ The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman hold the slightest edge, 3-2 in the all-time series against Prairie View A&M.
▪ B-CU has won the last two games in the series, including a 74-61 victory last season in Daytona Beach.
▪ The Wildcats collected a 59-49 win over the Panthers the last time they met in Prairie View, Texas on Feb. 4, 2023.
▪ B-CU is 1-1 in games on the road against the Panthers, as PVAMU secured a 66-64 win in the first-ever meeting back on Nov. 19, 2016.
▪ The last win for the Panthers was a 70-60 decision in Daytona Beach on Feb. 5, 2022.
 

SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
▪ Coming into the weekend, Prairie View A&M owns a 5-13 overall mark, and a 2-7 record in league play before hosting Florida A&M on February 6.
▪ The Panthers are allowing 68.9 points per game, while also scoring 62.7 points per game themselves.
▪ Prairie View A&M is shooting 31.4 percent from three-point land and shooting 39.9 percent from the field overall.
▪ Crystal Schultz is leading the Panthers in scoring with 163 points, averaging 9.1 points per game and shooting 33.6 percent from the floor.
▪ Three other Panthers have amassed 140 points or more as Nyam Thornton (149 points) leads the trio, followed by Ash'a Thompson (144) and CJ Wilson (143).
▪ Thompson is the team's top rebounder with 73 boards (4.1 rpg), followed by Adreanna Waddle with 65 rebounds (4.3 rpg).
▪ Thornton owns a team-leading 59 assists and 20 steals, adding five blocked shots to her tally.
▪ While Schultz leads the team in three-pointers with 29, she is followed closely by Kaci Chairs with 22 three-pointers, respectively.
 

Bethune-Cookman hosts Jackson State on Thursday, Feb. 13, for "Pink Night" showing support for Breast Cancer Awareness.
 
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