MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The No. 16 Bethel Lady Wildcats played host to an excellent Rust College team Tuesday night and held on to beat the Bearcats 67-64. With the victory Bethel improved to 4-1 on the season while Rust suffered their first loss and dropped to 5-1.
Bethel jumped out to a 13-2 lead but the visitors from Holly Springs scored 10 unanswered points and Bethel led only by two at the end of one, 16-14.
Morgan Martin nailed a three-pointer in the waning seconds of the first half to give the Lady Cats a 32-28 lead at halftime.
Bethel took a 32-29 lead in the third quarter only to see Rust battle and tie the game at 38-38 with 5:45 left in the quarter. A minute and a half later the Bearcats took their first lead of the game at 42-41. They led Bethel 51-49 after three.
Rust would lead 60-53 with seven minutes left but the Lady Cats fought back to tie the game at 60. Trailing 64-62 with just under two minutes left, Bethel's Millie Bryant hit a huge three to give the home team a 65-64 lead. Tyasia Willis would follow a missed shot with a put back and Bethel led 67-64. A three point shot by Rust at the buzzer fell off and Bethel survived with the three point win.
Bethel hit 25-of-67 shots at 37 percent. They hit eight three's and were 9-of-14 from the foul line. Rust shot 36 percent hitting 22 –of-60 shots. They knocked down nine three-pointers and were 11-of-13 from the foul line. Both teams had 18 turnovers and each finished with 33 rebounds.
Martin led the Lady Cats with 18 points and a game high 12 rebounds. Willis followed with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bryant had 14 points. Tasia Jones had a game high seven assists. Keimeshia Walker led Rust with a game high 28 points.
Coach Chris Nelson was pleased with his team's effort and execution down the stretch. " This was a huge effort by our ladies tonight. Rust is a very talented ball club and well coached. They are making serious strides with their program and this was a hard fought win for our team. Tonight was a lot of fun and a good experience for us. Our guards really stepped up and made big plays for us and we kept our composure when we were down in the second half and found a way down the stretch."
The Lady Wildcats return to action Thursday night hosting No. 1 Freed-Hardeman at 5:30 p.m. The Cats meet the Lions in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m.
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