MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The No. 17 Bethel Lady Wildcats were able to stave off a challenge by the Golden Tigers of Brenau University Saturday afternoon winning 70-61. An electric crowd in Crisp Arena saw the Lady Cats win their eighth straight game and thirteenth of their last 14. Bethel moved to 19-7 and 15-1 in the SSAC. They are 76 -9 all-time in Crisp Arena and 35-1 against SSAC opponents in the building. Bethel has won 49 of their last 52 regular season games against conference opponents. Brenau dropped to 14-9 and 7-8.
Bethel led at the half 31-26 and outscored the Golden Tigers 39-35 in the second half. Bethel was 23-of-59 from the field for 39 percent. They hit six three's and connected on 18-of-23 free throw attempts. Brenan was 21-of-62 from the floor for 33 percent. The Golden Tigers hit four three's and hit 15-of-19 charity tosses. Bethel had a 44-31 advantage in rebounding.
Brandi Goodman led Bethel with 22 points. She completed her double-double with 11 rebounds. Morgan Martin, despite foul trouble finished with 12 points. Mariah McKenty had a game tying 11 rebounds. Dominque Patrick came off the Brenau bench to lead all scorers with 28 points.
Coach Chris Nelson was pleased with the win, "This was a great win for our team versus a very talented and good Brenau team. We knew keeping them in front of us would be a challenge and they proved to be who we thought they were. They can cause problems on both ends of the floor and a very dangerous team. Brandi was great for us on the block tonight and Mariah did a wonderful job defensively and rebounding. Jasmine (Whittemore) gave us a great spark off the bench in first half and Alexis (Hardaway) did the dirty work in the second half guarding and rebounding. We will enjoy this win and look forward to the biggest challenges of the year coming down the stretch."
The Lady Wildcats begin a three game road trip traveling to Martin Methodist Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off. The game will be aired on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com. The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 5 p.m. Dave McCulley and Zach O'Kelley call the action.
