MOBILE, Ala. – Going into Thursday night's game in Mobile the Bethel Lady Wildcats had won six of their previous ten games against the Lady Rams but none of those six had been in Mobile. Bethel was 0-3 in the Port City. That changed Thursday as the Lady Cats prevailed 61-60. It marked the second win of the season for Bethel over Mobile. The No. 21 Lady Wildcats beat the Rams 77-61 in Crisp Arena on January 11.
Bethel moved to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in the SSAC. Mobile fell to 12-12 and 5-7.
Behind 13 first half points from Shamon Pearson the Lady Wildcats led 31-23 at the break. Laurhen Pickett followed with seven tallies. Bethel had four three's in the first 20 minutes. It marked the 385th straight game Bethel has hit at least one three-pointer under the guidance of Coach Chris Nelson. Bethel had a 21-13 rebound advantage at the break.
Bethel opened the third quarter scoring the first eight points of the stanza to grab a 39-23 lead but credit Mobile as they answered with eight unanswered to trail 39-31. Bethel maintained the lead behind ten third quarter point from Pickett to lead 50-42 at the end of three.
The fourth quarter was a doozy as Mobile stormed back and took a 60-59 lead but Pickett hit a jumper with 20 seconds left to give the Lady Wildcats a 61-60 lead. Mobile missed a shot at the end and Bethel would leave the Bay with that first elusive victory.
Bethel shot 45 percent hitting 22-of-48 shots. They hit six three's and were 11-of-13 from the free throw line. They out rebounded the Rams 41-28 and are 17-3 when they have the rebound margin in a game.
Pickett posted her eighth double -double of the season with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Pearson led all scorers with 20 points. Jasmine Whittemore and Morgan Martin both finished with eight points.
Mobile was 20-of-61 for 32 percent from the floor. They hit seven three's and hit 13-of 19 free throws. Kendra Langham led Mobile with 18 points.
Coach Nelson was proud of his squad, "We found a way on the road tonight. I loved the way our kids battled through adversity throughout the game and especially when the bottom fell out on us late. We made some mental mistakes during that stretch but we stayed calm and was able to finish at the end. Laurhen was big for us all night and made two big plays late to get us the win. Prior to getting off the bus for the game our faithful bus driver ( "Double T" ) Thomas Tansil told our girls that all it takes is just one and that proved to be the case tonight . This was a total team effort and it took everyone tonight."
Bethel continues their last road trip of the regular season with a showdown against rival Loyola University Saturday in New Orleans. Tip-off against the Pack is 2 p.m. CST
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. The game between the two scheduled back in January at Crisp Arena was cancelled because of snow.
There will be no local radio but fans can follow the action at:
Live Video
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/loyno/portal.htm?eventId=413630&streamType=video
Live Stats
http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/TeamComparison/TeamComparison.aspx?association=10&sg=WBB&sea=NAIWBB_2017&team=221&compID=210562
