DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman erased a double-digit second half deficit Saturday afternoon to defeat Florida A&M 71-60 in overtime of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball matchup inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. Following the game, B-CU paid special recognition to seniors Kayla Clark, Cassandra Hawthorne, Chanelle McDonald, Shomari Phillips and Kayla White
 

FIRST QUARTER
In a slow-starting but eventually momentum-shifting first quarter, the Florida A&M (9-20, 6-12 SWAC) built a 16-9 advantage in a frame a quarter that would see four lead changes and one tie.
 
Bethune-Cookman (10-20, 7-11 SWAC) appeared to take control early, building a 4-0 lead when Asianae Nicholson followed Chanelle McDonald's opening basket with a layup at the 7:20 mark. The Wildcats stretched their advantage to 7-3 after McDonald connected on a pair of free throws with 6:02 remaining. FAMU responded with Sabou Gueye providing an immediate impact with two fast-break layups off steals, the second coming at the 5:30 mark to narrow the deficit to 7-5. Saige Glover then tied the game at 7-7 with a layup off an assist from Cheyenne McEvans with 4:25 left in the quarter.
 
After Nicholson briefly restored the B-CU lead with a fast-break jumper, the Rattlers seized control with a decisive 9-0 run to close the quarter. Ivet Subirats hit a three-pointer to give FAMU their first lead at 11-9 with 2:33 remaining. ZiKeyah Carter added a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on Mya Johnson, and D'Mya Griffin punctuated the quarter with a three-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Rattlers a 16-9 advantage.
 
SECOND QUARTER
The host Wildcats outscored FAMU, 19-14 in the second quarter, cutting a daunting 11-point deficit to just two points by halftime. B-CU orchestrated the comeback behind senior guard Kayla White, who emerged with seven points including a perfect 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Jordan Brooks provided additional firepower, contributing six points of her own, including a three-pointer and a perfect 3-for-3 performance from the free-throw line.
 
The Rattlers quickly established their largest lead of the game at 22-11 when Griffin completed a three-point play at the 7:52 mark, pushing the FAMU advantage to its peak. The tide began to turn when Nicholson collected the rebound and converted a fast-break layup with 6:33 remaining. Moments later, White connected on a pull-up jumper off a Camerah Langston assist, trimming the deficit to nine points. A pivotal sequence occurred near the midpoint of as White converted consecutive fast-break opportunities, including a jumper that reduced the Rattlers' lead at 24-17 with 5:09 remaining.
 
FAMU's Eliya Ellis connected on a pair of free throws following a foul by McDonald, pushing the lead back to nine points at 26-17 with 4:45 left in the half. Gueye later extended the advantage to 11 points with a layup off a Jaliya Sharp assist.
 
The Wildcats responded as White buried a three-pointer off a Brooks assist, cutting the lead to 28-20 with 3:40 remaining. The momentum continued to shift when Langston converted a jumper from outside the paint following a Johnson assist, reducing the deficit to six points with 3:13 left. FAMU's Sharp momentarily stemmed the tide with a put-back layup in the paint, but Brooks countered with a step-back three-pointer while drawing a foul on Cheyenne McEvans. The Atlanta, Georgia native completed the four-point play at the charity stripe, bringing Bethune-Cookman within four points at 30-26 with 1:33 remaining. The Wildcats' defensive intensity amplified in the closing minutes as Nicholson recorded a steal, and Brooks earned a trip to the free-throw line after being fouled by Sharp. Brooks would sink both attempts, shrinking the deficit to a mere two points at 30-28 with 53 seconds left.
 
THIRD QUARTER
The Rattlers set the tone early when Ivet Subirats drained a three-pointer just 43 seconds into the quarter. From there, FAMU extended their lead, going up by double digits when Glover's layup made it 43-33 with 4:01 remaining. Bethune-Cookman shot just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from the field, including 0-for-3 from three-point territory. The Wildcats' offensive woes were highlighted by a three-minute scoring drought before White's driving layup cut the deficit to eight points with 2:11 left in the period.
 
Nicholson paced the Cats with four points in the stanza. The Rattlers dominated the glass, outrebounding B-CU 16-7 in the quarter, including a 7-3 advantage on the offensive boards that led to five (5) second-chance points. FAMU maintained the lead throughout the entire quarter, pushing their advantage to as many as 10 points, 43-33. The Wildcats never managed to get closer than two points after Nicholson's jump shot made it 35-33 with 7:41 remaining.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
In a dramatic fourth-quarter performance, the homestanding Wildcats erased a seven-point deficit to force overtime against Florida A&M at Moore Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Trailing 45-38 early in the fourth quarter, the hosts mounted a comeback behind perfect three-point shooting (3-for-3) and clutch free throws to tie the game at 56-56 at the end of regulation.
 
Clark played the hero for B-CU, scoring the game-tying layup with just 11 seconds remaining. The sequence began when Nicholson recorded a steal with seven seconds left after FAMU's Glover committed the turnover on the pass. Though Clark missed a potential game-winning jumper as time expired, her offensive production (six points, two rebounds, two assists in the quarter) proved instrumental in the comeback.
 
The Wildcats' rally began with back-to-back three-pointers from senior Shomari Phillips, who scored all six of her points in the final period. Phillips' second three-pointer at the 7:06 mark cut the deficit to just one point at 47-46. Florida A&M appeared to regain control when Gueye's driving layup and Glover's fast break score pushed the Rattlers' lead back to five points at 53-48 with 3:30 remaining. However, the Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run, capped by Clark's two free throws that gave Bethune-Cookman its first lead at 54-53 with 32 seconds left.
 
The lead was short-lived as Griffin connected on a clutch three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to put FAMU ahead 56-54. Clark then answered immediately with her driving layup to force overtime. White contributed significantly in the fourth quarter with five points and three rebounds, including a pivotal step-back three-pointer. The Wildcats' dominance on the glass proved decisive in the fourth quarter, outrebounding the Rattlers 11-4, including a 4-1 advantage on the offensive boards that led to four second-chance points.
 
OVERTIME
Phillips led the overtime charge for the Wildcats, connecting on back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes that broke open what had been a tightly contested battle. Phillips finished the overtime period with six points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Just 25 seconds into overtime, B-CU's White converted a fast-break layup following Clark's steal from FAMU's Gueye, giving B-CU an early two-point advantage.
 
The Wildcats' defense proved to be the difference-maker, holding Florida A&M to 9.1 percent shooting (1-of-11) in the overtime period. Nicholson extended the Wildcats' lead converting two free throws to put B-CU up 60-56 with 3:33 remaining. Clark followed with two more free throws nearly a minute later, pushing the advantage to six points.
 
FAMU's McEvans briefly cut into the deficit by making the second of two free throws with just over two minutes remaining, but Phillips answered with a three-pointer to extend the lead to eight. The dagger came with 1:30 left when Phillips drained her second three-pointer off an assist from Clark, giving the Wildcats an 11-point lead at 68-57. Though McEvans responded with a three-pointer for FAMU, B-CU sealed the victory at the free-throw line, where the Cats shot an impressive 7-of-8 during overtime.
 


FAMU was led by three players in double-figures scoring, including 12 from Gueye and Griffin each, respectively. Glover provided her side with 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
For B-CU, Nicholson collected her 21st double-double of the year with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. White topped all scorers with 18 points in the game, adding four boards and two assists. Phillips had 12 points – all coming from three-point range, while Calrk rounded out double-digit scorers with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in her last game inside Moore Gymnasium.
 


B-CU locked up the No. 7 seed in the upcoming SWAC Tournament in Atlanta, where the Wildcats will face off against No. 10 seed Prairie View A&M on Tuesday, March 11, at 11 a.m. The 2025 Starry SWAC Basketball Tournament presented by Buick takes place at Gateway Center.
 


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