BILLINGS, MT-The No. 18 Bethel Lady Wildcats fell to No. 2 Lewis Clark State 69-58 Friday night in their Sweet Sixteen match-up in the 2017 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship in Billings, Montana. A tough first quarter proved to be fatal to the Lady Wildcats.
The Lady Cats struggled shooting in the first half. They hit just 7-of-30 shots in the first twenty minutes and trailed 29-18 at the break. LCS led 15-4 at the end of one. Buckets by Brandi Goodman and Cayla Sheets were the only points recorded by Bethel in the first quarter. Shamon Pearson kept Bethel in the game scoring eight points in the second quarter.
The Lady Wildcats matched LCS point for points in quarters two, three and four. Each team scored 54 points in those quarters.
The Lady Wildcats finished at 33 percent hitting 22-of-66 shots. They hit six three's. During Coach Nelson's tenure as head coach which spans 360 games the Lady Wildcats have hit at least one three-pointer in each contest. LCS was 25-of- 62 at 40 percent. They nailed ten three-pointers. Bethel had a 37-36 rebounding advantage but the Lady Warriors had a 12-4 margin in points off turnovers.
Goodman led Bethel with 15 points. Shamon Pearson followed with 13 while Alexis Hardaway closed her career with 12. LCS's Caelyn Orlandi led all scorers with 29 points.
Bethel finishes 24-11 on the season. Lewis Clark State improved to 33-1 and will face No. 3 seeded Westmont Saturday in the Elite Eight.
It was Bethel's fifth -straight and eighth all-time appearance in the national tournament. The Lady Cats are 7-8 all-time in the national tournament.
The game marked the end of the careers of three great Bethel seniors. Hardaway, Cayla Sheets and Mariah McKenty have been instrumental in Bethel being one of the dominating programs in the SSAC and in national rankings year in and year out.
Coach Chris Nelson expressed his thoughts about the game, the season and his seniors. "We got off to a tough start in the first quarter but the ladies continued to battle and fight for our basketball lives. Credit LCS for making it hard on us but we struggled with some simple execution which we typically do a better job with and LCS was able to take advantage of it. It is also a credit to our ladies for staying the course and giving our self a chance by cutting it to five or six a couple of times in second half but we simply couldn't get over the hump. This team had a good year and overcame many obstacles with injuries and our tough schedule. I am so proud of them for the ultimate goal of becoming a true team and playing for each other and you can tell that when no one has a dry eye following the loss. These kids care for each other and have created life long memories. We want to thank our seniors for the type of people they are. Cayla has undeniable passion for the game, Mariah in always being Ms. Dependable and Alexis for being the competitor she is and allowing us to coach her. This season has so many things to reflect on and we are thankful for every up and down. It is always tough when your season comes to an end because we have been together almost every day for the last seven months. We appreciate everyone's support and the loyalty that comes with this program."
Article by Dave McCulley: Bethel Athletics Media Relations
