Gauntlet Schedule Continues for Lady Cats
MCKENZIE, Tenn. – After opening conference wins over Cumberlands (KY), Georgetown, Campbellsville, and Lindsey Wilson, the No. 2 Bethel Lady Wildcats (19-1, 4-0) face another NAIA and Mid-South Conference power as they host No. 5 Freed-Hardeman (18-1, 3-1) Thursday evening in Crisp Arena. Tip-off in front of an expected huge crowd is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Tickets: https://bethelathletics.com/tickets
- All passes must be approved through the Bethel University Sports Information office 24 hours prior to the game.
It will be the 85th meeting between the two programs with FHU holding a 68-16 advantage in the series. They first met in 1981. The Lady Lions have won the last four meetings and seven of the last ten played between the two. It will be the 41st meeting in games played in McKenzie. FHU is 27-13 in those games. The teams have played 11 games in Crisp Arena. The Lions are 6-5 in those games.
Bethel is 9-0 at home this season and 182-41 since the building opened in 2012.
Bethel is coming off an 84-73 win at Lindsey Wilson. The Cats have won five in a row after suffering their only loss of the season at UT Southern.
Bethel is averaging 78.5 and yielding 59.7 points per game. The Cats shoot 47 percent from the field while their opponents are at 35 percent. Bethel shoots almost 38 percent in three-point attempts. Opponents are at 29 percent from behind the arc. The Cats have been consistent from the free throw line at 76 percent. The Lady Cats outrebound their foes 34-31 and average 17 assists per outing.
Micah Hart leads Bethel in scoring averaging 19.9 points per game. She has averaged 29.5 in the four conference games. Hart scored 37 points in Bethel's win at Lindsey Wilson Saturday. With her jump shot in the second quarter she became the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 points or more. She enters the FHU game with 1, 028 career points. Hart leads her team in steals, rebounds, and free throw attempts and made free throws. She is second in assists. Her 19.9 points per game leads the Mid-South Conference. She earned her second straight MSC Player of the Week award again this week. It is her third weekly conference honor this season and fourth of her career.
On Tuesday, Hart was tabbed as the NAIA National Player of the Week.
Mikee Buchanan averages 15.7 points per contest and leads the squad in three-point attempts and in made three pointers.
Madison Hart also averages in double figures at a 13.6 clip.
Coach Chris Nelson is in his 19th season as head coach of Bethel women's basketball program.
During Nelson's tenure as head coach, Bethel has qualified for 13 NAIA national tournaments (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2025). The Lady Wildcats have won over 80 percent (182-41) of their home games at Crisp Arena since the venue opened in 2012.
Coach Nelson has a career mark of 422-210.
The Lady Lions are coming off a 67-56 win at Campbellsville on Saturday. Their only loss was on Thursday at Lindsey Wilson.
FHU averages 74.2 and yields 53.8 points per game. Freed shoots 48 percent from the floor while opponents average 33 percent from the field. Behind the arc, the Lions are at 37 percent while their opponents shoot just 26 percent. FHU shoots 74 percent from the free throw line and outrebounds their foes 35-31. Freed averages 13 turnovers per game and 15 assists per outing.
Lilly Key, a former standout at nearby Huntingdon High School, leads the Lions in scoring at 15.8 points per game. She leads the team in free throw attempts and free throws made. Key shoots 90 percent from the line. Jenna Sattley follows with 14.4 points per game and leads the Lions in steals. Rachel Satterly averages 11.2 points per game and leads FHU in made three-pointers. Ally Weathers averages 10 points per game. Brooklyn Crouch leads Freed with 63 assists.
Abby Stutts is in her second season as head coach of the Lady Lions. Her first season was a big one as she led the Lady Lions to the national quarterfinals after hosting the first and second rounds of the NAIA National Tournament. The Lions were 28-6.
Sidenote:
The Bethel Wildcat men's soccer squad which won the Mid-South Conference tournament title and advanced to the NAIA Final Site in Orange Beach will be recognized and honored at halftime.
Tickets:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/tickets
Watch:
https://fan.hudl.com/usa/tn/mckenzie/organization/6212/bethel-university
Stats:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/boxscores/20260122_qpt3.xml