ATLANTA – No. 7 seed Bethune-Cookman clawed back from a late deficit to force overtime, but was unable to seal the victory, falling to No. 10 Prairie View A&M 57-52 on Tuesday afternoon in the opening game of the 2025 Starry SWAC Basketball Tournament presented by Buick at Gateway Center Arena.
 

FIRST QUARTER
Prairie View A&M (10-18) established an early advantage in the opening quarter, taking a 12-7 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The Panthers overcame a slow start to finish the quarter on a 12-2 run, erasing an early deficit and building a five-point cushion heading into the second period. Bethune-Cookman's Chanelle McDonald opened the scoring with a jumper just outside the paint just over a minute into the contest. Both teams struggled shooting early, as the Wildcats (10-21) connected on just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) of their field goal attempts, while Prairie View shot 41.7 percent (5-for-12) from the floor.
 
Nyam Thornton led all scorers with six points for Prairie View, including a mid-range jumper at the 5:11 mark that gave the Panthers their first lead at 6-5. Adreanna Waddle came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring four points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting in just 5:40 of playing time. The Wildcats' offense was balanced with four players contributing to their seven points. All-SWAC Second Team member Asianae Nicholson, second nationally in double-doubles, was active on the glass for B-CU, collecting a quarter-high three rebounds, while also recording two steals defensively.
 
After B-CU built a 5-2 lead midway through the period, the Panthers responded with a 6-0 run to take control. Ash'a Thompson's jump shot with just under a minute remaining extended the Panthers' advantage to five points, their largest lead of the quarter.
 
SECOND QUARTER
After falling behind by as many as seven points, B-CU rallied in the second quarter, outscoring Prairie View A&M 14-10 to cut the Panthers' lead to just 22-21 at halftime. Senior center Kayla Clark provided a spark for the Wildcats, scoring all four of her points in the period while collecting three rebounds and recording two steals. Her fast-break layup with 44 seconds remaining gave Bethune-Cookman its first lead since the opening quarter of the game at 21-20.
 
The Wildcats' defense came alive in the quarter, forcing six Prairie View turnovers which led to eight fast-break points. Senior guard Shomari Phillips contributed four points and three rebounds for the Maroon and Gold, while classmate Kayla White added two points and a key block. Nyam Thornton kept the Panthers afloat with four points, including a jumper from the baseline with 22 seconds remaining that reclaimed a 22-21 lead heading into halftime.
 
Bethune-Cookman dominated inside, outscoring Prairie View 10-4 in the paint during the period despite continuing to struggle from beyond the arc, with the Wildcats missing all five of their three-point attempts. The Cats outrebounded the Panthers 9-8 in the period with five offensive rebounds.
 
THIRD QUARTER
In a gritty, defensive third quarter, Prairie View A&M maintained a slim lead over the Cats, entering the final period with a 32-30 advantage. Both teams struggled offensively in the quarter, with Prairie View shooting just 16.7 percent (2 of 12) from the field, while Bethune-Cookman countered with a 23.1 percent touch (3 of 13).
 
After trailing by as many as six points midway through the quarter, B-CU rallied behind Nicholson, who dominated the glass with eight rebounds in the period alone. The South Euclid, Ohio native scored six points in the quarter, including two free throws at the 1:59 mark that temporarily tied the game at 29-29. Prairie View's Thompson answered immediately with a three-pointer assisted by CJ Wilson, putting the Panthers back in front 32-29. Thompson led all scorers in the quarter with five points, respectfully. The defensive intensity was evident throughout, with the teams combining for seven steals and 10 turnovers in the period. B-CU's Nicholson accounted for two steals, while the Wildcats forced five Prairie View turnovers.
 
Clark's free throw with 42 seconds remaining cut the deficit to two points, but neither team scored in the final moments despite last-second opportunities.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
Daimoni Dorsey's game-tying three-pointer with just three seconds left in regulation capped a thrilling fourth quarter as Bethune-Cookman rallied to force overtime. The Wildcats outscored the Panthers 15-13 in the final frame.
 
Prairie View entered the fourth quarter with a four-point advantage and quickly extended it to six when Wilson converted a fast break jumper with 8:58 remaining. B-CU responded immediately as Clark scored inside and completed a three-point play to trim the deficit to three. The Wildcats continued their surge when Nicholson, who finished with a team-high six points in the quarter, made back-to-back baskets. Her steal and fast break layup at the 6:54 mark gave the Maroon and Gold its first lead of the period at 37-36, prompting a Prairie View timeout. The teams traded blows throughout the middle portion of the quarter, with Prairie View's Thornton and Bethune-Cookman's White exchanging baskets.
 
After Thompson tied the game at 40 with 3:25 remaining, Waddle's layup with 1:51 left gave the Panthers a two-point edge. Thornton's free throws with 18 seconds remaining put Prairie View ahead 44-40, but Nicholson responded with a put-back layup to keep the Wildcats within striking distance at 44-42. Thornton split another pair of free throws with 13 seconds left, pushing the Panthers' lead to three.
 
With time running out, White found Dorsey behind the arc, and the guard calmly sank the game-tying three-pointer off the glass from the right corner with three seconds left, knotting the score at 45-45 and sending the game to overtime.
Bethune-Cookman shot 46.2 percent in the quarter, including one of only two (2) three-pointers in the game for the Cats coming from Dorsey just before regulation expired. Nicholson led the Wildcats with a strong all-around performance in the quarter, recording six points, three rebounds, two steals, and a block.
 
OVERTIME
The Panthers outscored the Wildcats 12-7 in the extra session, led by Amauri Williams who scored eight points in the extra frame to secure the victory. After regulation ended in a 45-45 tie, Bethune-Cookman's Janessa Kelley struck first with a three-pointer off an assist from White to give the Wildcats a 48-45 advantage just seconds into the overtime period.
 
Prairie View responded quickly, as Williams converted a layup off an assist from Thompson to cut the deficit to one. The Panthers then seized control when Wilson stole the ball from Clark and scored on a fast-break layup to give Prairie View their first lead of overtime at 49-48 with 3:19 left. Wilson's defensive prowess continued to make a difference as she recorded another steal against Nicholson that led to a four-point Panthers advantage after making one of two free throws with 2:14 remaining.
 
The Panthers extended their lead to 52-48 when Williams connected on a hook shot with 1:38 left. After Bethune-Cookman's Phillips made one of two free throws to trim the margin to three, Williams answered by sinking a pair of free throws to push the lead to 54-49 with under a minute remaining. Wilson sealed the victory by making one of two free throws with 31 seconds left, giving Prairie View a six-point cushion. Despite a late layup from White that brought the Cats within five, Williams calmly drained two more free throws in the final seconds to secure the win.
 
B-CU struggled offensively in the extra period, shooting just 2 of 10 from the field. Kelley led the Wildcats with three points in overtime, while White added two. The Panthers' defense forced three Wildcats turnovers in overtime, converting them into four points that proved decisive in the five-point victory.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Prairie View was led in scoring by Thornton with 16 points, followed in double figures by Williams (12) and Wilson (10).
 
Bethune-Cookman received yet another double-double from Nicholson, her 22nd of the year, with 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. She also supplied six assists. Playing in her last game as a Wildcats, Clark tallied 11 points and seven boards.
 


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