MCKENZIE, Tenn. –In a game which took on the likes of a postseason contest the No. 21 Bethel Lady Wildcats beat SSAC rival No. 20 Loyola University 57-54 Saturday afternoon in Crisp Arena.
The Lady Cats moved to 11-7 overall and 7-1 in the league. LU dropped to 13-4 and 5-2. Bethel is 71-9 all-time in Crisp Arena and 30 -1 against SSAC opponents in the building. They had suffered their only conference home loss ever Thursday against Martin Methodist.
It was the ninth meeting between the two programs. Bethel has a 7-2 advantage. The Lady Wildcats are 4 -0 in McKenzie and 3-1 in New Orleans. Loyola won the only time they met in the SSAC tournament.
Bethel got off to somewhat of a sluggish start and trailed 14-10 after the first quarter. Trailing 25-21 the Lady Wildcats used a 9-0 run to close out the first half and led 30-25 at halftime. The Lady Cats maintained their edge in the third quarter and even moved out to a 52-35 lead in the fourth quarter. Loyola used a pressure full court press and climbed their way back into the game. Outscoring Bethel at one point 19-3 the Lady Wolf Pack had their chance. Bethel hit only two of fifteen three-point attempts but the two they hit proved to be difference makers. Brandi Goodman and Mariah McKenty both nailed three's in the last four minutes of the game. Goodman hit two clutch free throws to preserve the victory. A last second desperation attempt by the Lady Pack fell short and the Lady Wildcats prevailed.
Loyola was 10-of-57 from the floor at 33 percent. Bethel was 19-of-60 at 31 percent. It was the first time this season Bethel has won when being outshot. They had been 0-7 when being outshot. The Lady Wildcats had a decided edge in rebounding at 43-28. Loyola is the fifth best rebounding team in the nation. The Lady Wildcats won the game by being able to get to the foul line. They hit 17-of-21 free throws while Loyola was 10-of-11. Both teams had 14 turnovers. Bethel's bench was big with a 34-15 advantage with Brandi Goodman scoring 25 points.
Goodman's 25 points was a career high and she also pulled down eight rebounds. Alexis Hardaway had her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also had a team high five assists. Paige Franckiewicz led Loyola with 14 points while Meghan Temple had 12 in the game.
Bethel Coach Chris Nelson commented, "I'm very proud for our girls for bouncing back tonight in a big conference match up. Our ladies have done that all year after a tough game and it is a testament to the type of people they are. Lex (Hardaway) played with a purpose and stepped up for her team. Brandi was great in the post and I thought Cayla (Sheets) played great defense. (Abbey) Dew gave us good minutes and we look forward to her getting back in the flow as she adds to our offense. We have another big challenge with Mobile on Monday."
The two squads meet again in New Orleans February 18.
The Lady Cats remain at home Monday hosting Mobile at 5:30 p.m.
The game will be aired on WEIO, 100.9 and at http://thefarmradio.com/listenlive/. Fans can also watch the game on Wildcat Vision at: http://www.bethelathletics.com/f/WildcatVision.php
Dave McCulley and Zach O'Kelley call the action on both entities. The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 5 p.m.
Follow live stats at: http://www.dakstats.com/Websync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10
