JACKSON, Tenn. – The Bethel Lady Wildcats enjoyed a nine point lead with 1:09 left in the third quarter in the final game of the 2018 Jackson Invitational Saturday night against Talladega but could not hold on as the Tornadoes cut the Wildcat lead to three at the end of the quarter and then outscored Bethel 24-15 in the fourth to beat the Lady Cats 72-66.
The loss dropped No. 21 Bethel to 7-2 while Talladega improved to 8-1.
Bethel had more field goals (26-20) and more three's (7-5) but Talladega's ability to get to the foul line proved to be the difference. The Tornadoes connected on 27-of-40 free throw attempts while Bethel was just 7-of-14. Bethel had a 40-33 rebound advantage but turned the ball over 22 times against the nation's No. 1 ranked team in steals.
Bethel's Myah Taylor led the Lady Cats with 25 points. Morgan Martin had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Ashton Hulme finished with 11 points.
Talladega's Brijanee Moore led all scorers with 35 points. She had 29 of those in the second half.
Coach Chris Nelson expressed his disappointment in the loss. "I love this team but I am really disappointed in how we reacted to adversity in this game. We rushed and took bad shots after they took the lead and we did not handle things the way we should have. We gave up too easy baskets and simply let this one get away. Talladega is a really good team and we are not taking anything away from them but with a second half nine point lead you feel you should win. This can be a learning experience if we let it be."
Bethel returns to action November 29 traveling to Faulkner. It will be the SSAC opener for the Lady Wildcats.
