MCKENZIE, Tenn. –The Bethel Lady Wildcats honored their three seniors before tip-off of their last regular season game Saturday in Crisp Arena. The seniors and their teammates made their last appearance in Crisp Arena a memorable one with a 71-33 win over the visiting William Carey Crusaders.
Seniors Morgan Martin, Ge' Robinson and Ty Willis were honored in pre-game ceremonies.
There was no letdown by the No. 6 Lady Cats after their 78-69 victory over Loyola Thursday night. With the win over LU the Lady Wildcats captured the league's regular season championship and in doing so assured themselves of a trip to the national tournament in Billings, Montana. It is Bethel's fifth regular season title in the last seven seasons. It will be Bethel's eighth straight appearance in the national tournament and mark the 11th time in the last 12 seasons to accomplish that feat.
With the win over WCU Bethel moved to 26-4 overall and 15-1 in the SSAC. The Lady Cats have won 18 straight. That total is the second best ever in program history. Bethel won 24 in a row in the 2014-15 season when they finished 32-4 and reached the Elite Eight of the national tournament.
The Lady Wildcats completed their home season at 15-0. Bethel is 122-15 all-time in Crisp Arena and 60-4 versus SSAC opponents in the building. The Lady Cats are 109-18 all-time against SSAC opponents.
William Carey fell to 13-14 overall and 8-9 in league play. The Lady Cats beat the Crusaders earlier this season in Hattiesburg 64-53 and leads the series between the two at 14-0. Bethel is 7-0 against WCU in games played in McKenzie.
Bethel used a smothering defense in the first half holding WCU to just 10 percent from the field. That and the scoring of Willis and Robinson who combined for 22 of Bethel's 32 points gave the Wildcats a 32-9 halftime lead. Fellow senior Martin tossed in nine of her 13 points in the second half and Bethel eased their way to the victory. Robinson finished with 15 points while Willis finished with a game high 17 tallies. Bethel hit nine three's in the game and dominated the boards at 42-27. The Cats had a 36-16 margin in points in the paint. The 33 points were the lowest allowed by Bethel in a game this season.
The Cats entered the game 4th in scoring defense at 54.9 points per game. They are 17 -1 when an opponent scores 54 or less points per game. The Crusader finished the game shooting 20 percent. The Cats average 69.2 points per game. Bethel is 18-2 when they score 65 points or more in a game.
Coach Chris Nelson said, "Today was a special way to end our regular season. It was very fitting that our three seniors went out with high performances. We are very proud of our ladies for their season accomplishments but we are also looking forward to March and the road ahead. This is a special group of people and we all believe we have more memories to make."
The Lady Wildcats move on to the SSAC Championships in Montgomery next week and will play Thursday at 12:30 p.m. All games will be aired on WEIO, 100.9 and at: www.thefarmradio.com
Seeds
1. Bethel (Tenn.) 15-1
2. Loyola (La.) 13-4
3. Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 12-4
4. Mobile (Ala.) 9-8
5. William Carey (Miss.) 8-9
6. Faulkner (Ala.) 7-9
7. Middle Georgia State 7-9
8. Stillman (Ala.) 6-11
9. Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 5-11
10. Florida College 4-12
Tiebreakers
Faulkner and Middle Georgia split in the regular season, so Faulkner wins the tiebreaker with their win over No. 2 seed Loyola
Florida College and Blue Mountain tied at 4-12 for the final spot, with Florida College owning the tiebreaker thanks to a head-to-head win
Schedule
Wednesday, March 4
Game 1 | 9:00 a.m. | #8 Stillman (Ala.) v. #9 Brewton-Parker (Ga.)
Game 2 | 12:30 p.m. | #7 Middle Georgia v. #10 Florida College
Thursday, March 5
Game 3 | 9:00 a.m. | #4 Mobile (Ala.) v. #5 William Carey (Miss.)
Game 4 | 12:30 p.m. | Winner Game 1 v. #1 Bethel (Tenn.)
Game 5 | 4:30 p.m. | Winner Game 2 v. #2 Loyola (La.)
Game 6 | 8:00 p.m. | #3 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) v. #6 Faulkner (Ala.)
Friday, March 6
Game 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Winner Game 3 v. Winner Game 4
Game 8 | 5:00 p.m. | Winner Game 5 v. Winner Game 6
Saturday, March 7
Championship | 4:00 p.m. | Winner Game 7 v. Winner Game 8
Championship website:
http://www.ssacsports.com/2020-ssac-womens-basketball-championship
