BLUE MOUNTAIN, MS –The No. 10 Bethel Lady Wildcats used a 17-7 third quarter advantage to pull away from the Blue Mountain Lady Toppers and win at BMC 65-51 Saturday afternoon. The teams were tied at 33 at halftime. With the victory Bethel improved to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the SSAC. Blue Mountain dropped to 2-3 and 0-2.
The win comes on the heels of Bethel's 77-53 win at William Carey Thursday night.
Blue Mountain led at the end of the first stanza 15-14 but behind the scoring of Shamon Pearson the Lady Cats fought back and actually led 33-29 late in the second. BMC scored the last four points of the quarter to garner the tie at the break.
Bethel had a 50-40 lead at the end of three. BMC cut the lead to four at 51-47 in the fourth. Bethel's Mariah McKenty hit a huge three-pointer to give the Lady Wildcats a 54-47 margin and BMC would never get closer.
Pearson led the Lady Wildcats with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Alexis Hardaway came off the Bethel bench and was strong with 12 points and seven boards. Morgan Martin helped the Lady Wildcats finish strong with seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Matavia Cox led the Toppers with 20 points.
Bethel shot 38 percent from the floor hitting 20-of-52 shots. They hit seven three's and were 18-of-26 from the foul line. BMC shot 32 percent from the floor. The Lady Toppers hit 7-of -9 free throws. Bethel had a 46- 36 advantage in rebounding. Bethel is 5-1 when they grab more rebounds than their opponents in a game this season. They are 5-0 when they out shoot their opponents. Bethel is 5-0 when three or more players score in double figures.
The Lady Cats are 50 -8 all-time in SSAC regular season play. Bethel leads the series between the two programs 20-2.
Coach Chris Nelson was pleased with his squad's effort and play. "I thought our girls battled in a tough environment. Credit Blue Mountain for playing a tough conference game and making us work for everything we got. Our ladies continue to compete with the attitude we need to be successful. Pearson was great on the entire trip and showed great leadership. I thought Mariah's defense was a big key and we received good minutes from a healthy senior Alexis Hardaway. Morgan Martin stepped up late in the second half and helped carry us forward toward the victory. Finals week is ahead so we will take time to regroup, get healthy and focus on a strong finish to a good first semester."
Bethel will return to action December 17, 18, and 19 in the SSAC/MSC Challenge in Campbellsville, Kentucky. They face Pikeville Saturday and then meet Shawnee State on Sunday. They close out the challenge on Monday, the 19th against host Campbellsville. Each game will be carried on WEIO. 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com.
