PULASKI, Tenn. – The No. 16 Lady Wildcats bounced back from their tough loss on Friday to No. 2 Campbellsville with a 58-53 win over (RV)Pikeville Saturday in the SSAC/MSC Crossover Challenge held at Martin Methodist in Pulaski.
The Lady Wildcats trailed 11-10 at the end of the first quarter. Behind 10 points by Tyasia Willis the Lady Cats took a 23-19 lead in the second stanza. The Bears fought back with an 8-2 run to close out the half and led at the break 27-25. In a nip-and-tuck third quarter the Lady Wildcats were able to garner a 45-44 margin at the end of the quarter. With the game tied at 48, Bethel's Ge'Naisha Robinson hit two baskets to give the Lady Cats a 52-48 advantage. After Pikeville hit a three to make it 52-51, Robinson nailed one of two free throws to give Bethel a 53-51 lead. Tasia Jones scored to give Bethel a 55-51 margin. Jones would later hit two free throws and Bethel held on for the 58-53 victory.
Bethel shot 35 percent from the floor hitting 21-of-60 shots. They hit only two three's on the day but knocked down 14-of-18 free throws. Bethel committed 13 turnovers but forced Pikeville into 19 on the day. Pikeville outrebounded the Cats 42-35.
Pikeville shot 36 percent from the field hitting 19-of-52 from the field. They hit seven three's and connected on 8-of -12 free throw attempts.
Willis led Bethel with 18 points and seven rebounds. Robinson followed with 12 tallies and six boards. Jones finished with 12 points and three assists. Mickey Head had eight points and five rebounds.
Coach Chris Nelson commented on the effort of his squad, "I am very proud of our squad for bouncing back today. We are still figuring out some early season rotations and line ups but happy with how we have battled when the game gets uncomfortable. Our schedule forces us to us to improve on our weaknesses and lean on our strengths in crunch time."
The Cats moved to 3-1 while UPike dropped to 5-2.
Bethel resumed play Tuesday hosting Rust College at 6 p.m.
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