Lady Cats Beat UPIKE in Regular Season Finale & Senior Day
MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The (RV) Bethel Lady Wildcats closed out their regular season Saturday at home against the visiting UPIKE Bears.
Senior players Ashton Hulme, Peanut White, Millie Bryant, Mickey Head, along with senior managers Aubrey Wallace and Justice England were saluted and honored in pre-game ceremonies.
The Lady Cats used big performances by two seniors on Senior Day to win 60-50. Bryant scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Head popped in 13 points and had a game high nine boards. The senior from Clarksville who is the program's all-time shot blocker had five blocks.
Keeley Morrow finished in double figures with 11 points. Jenna Foust had seven points and five rebounds. Kalynn Howard hit two big second half three-pointers to allow Bethel to break the game open. She had six points in the win. Kyla Taylor had four points and collected five rebounds. Ryann Roberts rounded the Wildcat scoring with two points. Mary Englert led the Bears with 11 points.
Bethel had a 36-30 rebound margin and remains unbeaten at 15-0 when winning the battle on the glass. Bethel held UPIKE to 23 percent from the field. That mark is a season low for an opponent on the year. The Cats had a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint.
The Cats moved to 18-12 overall and secured a fifth seed in the upcoming MSC Championship at 12-10. The Bears finished sixth at 11-11. UPIKE is 17-12 overall.
Bethel is 13-4 at home on the season and 144- 25 all-time in Crisp Arena.
Bethel's Bryant finished the game with 1,384 career points and 634 career rebounds. She is 8th in program history in scoring and 9th in career rebounds. Earlier this season she became just the 10th Lady Cat to score 1,000 points or more and collect 500 rebounds or more.
Head finished the contest with 894 career rebounds and 278 career blocks. She has 1, 277 career points with 794 of those as a Lady Wildcat.
Trends & Numbers:
Bethel is 17-1 when they outshoot their opponents.
The Cats are 16-4 when they hit more three-pointers.
The Lady Cats are 15-0 when they outrebound their opponents.
Bethel is 14-1 when leading at the half.
The Cats are 10-8 when they have less turnovers.
Bethel is 9 -2 when they score 70 or more points in a game.
Coach Chris Nelson commented, "Today was a huge win for the ball club with huge implications on the MSC conference seedlings but also in the national tournament seedings. The regular season has been a grind and brought plenty of challenges through sickness, tough games and adversity and we are so proud of how our ladies finished the last half of the season. We have a lot to play for in the next few weeks. I hope everyone embraces it and enjoys the journey."
The Lady Cats move to the postseason hosting 12th seeded Life University Monday night in Crisp Arena. The MSC opening round tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Bethel beat Life in both regular season matchups. The Cats won 62-36 in McKenzie and 67-47 in Marietta.
Live Radio: The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 6:30 p.m. on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com.
Live video:
https://bethelathletics.com/WildcatStreaming
Live stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20220217_tnyf.xml
Tickets:
All tickets must be purchased in advance.
https://bethelathletics.com/bethel-box-office
