DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman returns home as the hottest team in the SWAC as they look to keep it rolling against Prairie View and Texas Southern at Moore Gymnasium.


What: Game Twenty-Three
Who: Bethune-Cookman (11-11, 8-1) vs. Prairie View (9-13, 4-5)
When: Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. EST
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Moore Gymnasium
 
Watch: SWAC TV
Listen: CatEye Network Radio
Live Stats: Click here
 
What: Game Twenty-Two
Who: Bethune-Cookman vs. Texas Southern (6-14, 4-5)
When: Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Moore Gymnasium
 
Watch: SWAC TV
Listen: CatEye Network Radio
Live Stats: Click here


1^st Half
Bethune-Cookman took a few minutes to settle in, scoring just five points going into the under 16 minute media timeout.

Following the stoppage, the Wildcats began to click on both ends of the floor and built a sizable advantage on the scoreboard. Alabama A&M (12-10, 5-4) was held to just five points in the first eight minutes of game action and were outscored 16-1 after the media timeout.

B-CU would increase its lead to as high as 23, continuing to suffocate the Bulldogs offense. Following a pair of AAMU free-throws at the 11:15 mark, the Wildcats would go on another dominant scoring run (11-2) to really blow the game open.

Despite the sizable deficit, the Bulldogs were able to fight their way back into striking distance at the end of the half, outscoring B-CU 23-10 over the final eight minutes. The Wildcats lead sat at just 10 points heading into halftime.

Overall, Bethune-Cookman shot 53.6% from the floor while holding Alabama A&M to just 30.8%. 

Arterio Morris was red-hot in the first half, leading the Wildcats with 14 points including three three-pointers made. Jakobi Heady finished just behind him with 11.

Koron Davis finished the half with 11 points to lead the Bulldogs.

2nd Half
AAMU trimmed the deficit to eight to begin the half, but the Wildcats never allowed them to get any closer than that. B-CU immediately responded with a 12-0 run to push the lead back to 20 points.

The Cats were able to protect the lead, never allowing the Bulldogs any momentum, and finish off the blowout victory.

Defense continued to be the calling card for the Wildcats in the second half as they held AAMU to just 32.8% from the floor.

Doctor Bradley exploded offensively in the second after a scoreless first half. He finished with 15 points as the Bulldogs struggled to find an answer for his scoring inside the paint.


Prairie View A&M
The Pathers are 9-13 on the season and have accumulated a 4-5 record in SWAC play. They are coming off an 85-78 win at home over Texas Southern. Prairie View is 1-3 on the road in the conference, with the lone win coming on January 5 against Southern.

The leading scorer for PVAMU is Tai'Reon Joseph. He currently ranks second in the SWAC averaging 21.0 points per game. Against the Tigers, Joseph finished with 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting to help lead his team to victory. It was his second 30-point outing in conference action and fourth of the season.

Prairie View has struggled defensively this season, trailing only Jackson State for most points allowed per game. They rank in the bottom half of the league in rebounding and sit last in rebounding margin (-6.7).

One area the Panthers excel is turnover margin where they rank second behind Southern. They also average 4.44 blocks per game, also placing them second.

Texas Southern
Texas Southern is 6-14 this season and are also 4-5 in the SWAC. They recently fell to Prairie View on the road which snapped a two-game winning streak. The Tigers have just one win away from home in league play, a narrow 72-71 victory over Alcorn on Jan. 17.

The Tigers' leading scorer is 6-7 forward Troy Hupstead. The senior is averaging a double-double (14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds) in league play and is leading the SWAC in rebounds per game. Hupstead also leads the team in block with 16.

TSU is the second-highest scoring offense in the SWAC trailing only the Wildcats. They also rank second in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and three-pointers made per game.


The Wildcats have faced the Panthers six times in their history. They have won the previous four matchups after dropping the first two meetings.

Bethune-Cookman is 3-5 against Texas Southern but have won the previous two meetings.


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