ATLANTA — Bethune-Cookman held off a late push from Texas Southern to secure a 66-62 victory Monday morning in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament at Gateway Center Arena.

 

1st Quarter
Texas Southern struck first and built a 10-point lead midway through the opening period behind early baskets from Alisa Blalock and Da'Myiah Lewis.

Bethune-Cookman responded late in the quarter with a surge led by Sanai Tyler and Jordan Brooks. Brooks converted a jumper and a free throw with 10 seconds remaining to complete the rally and give the Wildcats a 16-15 lead at the end of the first.

Both teams shot around 43% in the quarter, but the Wildcats struggled from the free-throw line shooting just 2-for-6.

2nd Quarter
B-CU continued its push int the second quarter, using defense and transition scoring to stretch the advantage. Daimoni Dorsey scored on a fastbreak layup and Tyler added a paint bucket to push the Wildcats ahead by eight.

Bethune-Cookman was much improved from the free-throw line in the second, going 10-for-11, and closed the half on top 36-28.

The Wildcats held the Tigers to 30.8% shooting while forcing five turnovers.

3rd Quarter
Texas Southern began chipping away after halftime while slowing down the B-CU offense.

Maci Quiller knocked down a 3-pointer early in the period, and Taliyah Logwood continued to attack inside as the Tigers cut the deficit to a single possession midway through the quarter.

But Bethune-Cookman answered with a timely 3-pointer from Janessa Kelley and baskets from Tyler and Mya Johnson to regain breathing room and take a 52-46 lead into the fourth.

The Wildcats shot 26.3% in the quarter.

4th Quarter
The Tigers mounted one final comeback attempt in the final period. Aaliyah Henderson's fastbreak layup and Lauren Perry's late 3-pointer pulled Texas Southern within two points with 18 seconds remaining.

However, the Wildcats sealed the win at the line as Brooks knocked down two free throws with 16 seconds left to preserve the 66-62 victory.

B-CU had seven turnovers in the final frame but did just enough to advance to the second round.

• Daimoni Dorsey and Mya Johnson each scored 12 to lead the Wildcats. It's Johnson's second straight 12-point game and third of the season.
• Sanai Tyler finished with 10 points off the bench.
• Taliyah Longwood managed 14 points to lead all scorers.
• The two teams combined to shoot 4-of-27 (14.8%) from three-point range.
• B-CU and TSU combined to shoot 57 free-throws.

Bethune-Cookman will advance to the second round to face Florida A&M for the second time in the last week. The game begins at 11 a.m. tomorrow from Atlanta.

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