Comeback Falls Short as Cats Drop Conference Opener to Cumberland U
MCKENZIE, Tenn. -The Bethel Wildcats opened up conference action with a 101-90 loss to visiting Cumberland University Thursday night in Crisp Arena.
It marked the 30th meeting in the series with Phoenix holding a 23-7 advantage over the Wildcats.
The Cats dropped to 12-4 (while the Phoenix improved to 8-8 on the season.
The Wildcats are 136-56 all-time in Crisp Arena which opened in 2012.
The Phoenix pulled away in the first half and led at the break 58-41.
Cumberland extended their lead to 19 at the 15:23 mark of the second half. The Wildcats rallied and cut the deficit to three late, but CU did not fold and pulled away later to win by double digits.
Cumberland's ability to get to the free throw line was a big factor as the Phoenix hit 23-of-24 free throws.
DJ Starr led Bethel with 19 points and six rebounds. Conner Guthrie had 11 points. Chauncey Hughes III finished with 13 points off the bench.
Demarius Boyd had a game high of 33 points for Cumberland.
Coach Jeff Britt said, "This is a disappointing loss. We simply did not do a good job on defense. We had a good scout but didn't follow the game plan and that really hurt. We had a much better effort in the second half but could not overcome the poor first half."
Bethel is scheduled to return to action Saturday at Freed-Hardeman. The tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. weather permitting. For updates on the game follow www.bethelathletics.com
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