Lady Cats Win Conference Opener
MCKENZIE, Tenn.-The Bethel Lady Wildcats opened Mid-South Conference play Thursday night hosting Cumberland University. The Cats won their 15th straight with an 86-57 win over the Phoenix.
It was the 21st meeting between the two programs. The Lady Cats lead the series 12-9.
Bethel is 14-0 and ranked 16th in the nation. Cumberland dropped to 8-8 on the season.
The Lady Cats are now 169-38 all-time in Crisp Arena which opened in 2012.
The game marked the return of Coach Mark Vaughn to the arena. Vaughn is a former assistant coach under Coach Chris Nelson at Bethel. He is in his first year as head coach of the Phoenix.
Madison Hart was presented a commemorative ball before the game in honor of her scoring her 1,000 point against Simmons College back in December. She was the 19th player in program history to score a thousand points or more for the Lady Wildcats.
Balanced scoring and a defense which forced the Phoenix into 20 turnovers were major factors in the victory. The Lady Cats had a 33-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
Hallie Turner and Micah Hart led Bethel with 14 points each. Mikee Buchanan had 11 points. Kylie Reynolds tossed in 10 points while Madison Hart had nine tallies and a team high six rebounds. Kalynn Howard had nine points off the bench.
The Cats hit 12 three-pointers in the game and were 19-of-27 from the free throw line.
Mariyah Person led CU with 13 points.
Bethel Assistant Coach Raegan Blackburn commented in a postgame interview. "This is a group of young ladies who support each other on and off the court. They do not care who has the most points. This was a big win as we protected our home court which is something you must do in this conference." Blackburn added, "We look forward to playing a great and undefeated Freed-Hardeman team Saturday and we know it will be a huge challenge."
The Lady Cats are scheduled to play at Freed-Hardeman Saturday at 1 p.m. weather permitting. Updates on the game will be posted as they develop at:www.bethelathletics.com
Stats:
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=541243
Watch:
https://gofhulions.com/sports/2023/8/9/lion-digital-network.aspx