MCKENZIE, Tenn. - The No. 19 Bethel Lady Wildcat's won their sixth straight with a 77-61 victory over Mobile Thursday night in Crisp Arena. The Lady Cats moved to 86-12 all-time in the building. They are 38-1 against SSAC opponents in Crisp.
Bethel is 12-6 and 4 -1 in league play. Mobile fell to 9-7 and 3-3 in the conference.
Bethel pulled away and led at the end of the first quarter 24-10. They maintained a double digit margin to lead at halftime 32-22. The Lady Wildcats are 12-1 when they lead at halftime. Mobile fought back and cut Bethel's lead to 50 -43 late in the third quarter but a late flurry of points gave Bethel a 55-43 advantage entering the final quarter. They maintained a double figure margin to win.
Bethel's Laurhen Pickett had a double -double with 17 points and a season high 18 rebounds. She entered the game as the No. 2 leading rebounder in the nation. Morgan Martin tossed in a season high 22 points. Bri Fields had 14 points, six rebounds and a game high five assists. Brandi Goodman had 11 tallies while Shamon Pearson contributed with 10 points. Ryann Sylvester led the Rams with 13 points, all of those coming in the second half.
The Lady Wildcats had a 54-29 advantage in points in the paint. The Lady Wildcats won the battle of the boards at 41-26. They also hit 22-of-27 free throw attempts. Bethel was 25-of-62 from the field at 41 percent. Mobile was 21-of -56 at 37 percent. Bethel is 12-0 when they outshoot their opponents.
Coach Chris Nelson was pleased with the victory. "I thought we played with fire tonight. Morgan and Bri carried us in the first half then Laurhen was dominating in the second half. Brandi was solid in the second half and helped us stave off a Mobile run. We will enjoy this one for a few hours and then get ready to battle a really good Loyola squad. It is always fun to play them although we know it as always will be a tough task."
The Lady Cats remain at home to face conference rival Loyola Saturday at 2 p.m. The Pack is 12-4 and 5-1 in the league. They are coming off a conference loss at Martin Methodist Thursday night. The loss snapped a Loyola eight game winning streak.
It will be the 11th meeting between the two SSAC powers. Each won on their home court last season. Bethel leads the series 7-3. The Lady Wildcats are 4-0 in McKenzie. They are 3-2 in New Orleans while Loyola won between the two in the SSAC Championship finals in Montgomery in 2015.
Fans can follow the game on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com. The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 1:30 p.m. Fans can also view the game on Wildcat Vision at: http://www.bethelathletics.com/f/WildcatVision.php
