BY BRANDON KING
Southern used an aggressive full-court press to force 23 turnovers, which they turned into 26 points, as they could hand the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats their second consecutive home defeat 71-66.
After falling behind 12-7 at the 3:26 mark
of the first quarter, B-CU ended the frame on an 8-0 run that propelled them out in front 15-12 on the way to a 17-15 lead as the game entered the second quarter.
Southern answered back with a 10-0 run of their own, giving them a 25-17 lead with 7:42 left in the half. Southern pushed their advantage to as much as 12 at 34-22 on Kyanna Morgan’s triple on a fast break with 3:01 in the quarter. A 7-1 spurt that ended on a Chanel Wilson three-pointer cut the lead in half to 35-29 as the contest headed into halftime.
B-CU tied the game at 35 on a D’Shantae Edwards free throw early in the third quarter. The Wildcats shot a sizzling 77.7 % (7-9), which enabled them to surge to a 46-39 on a Kayla Clark jumper with 3:49 left in the quarter. The Jaguars were able to force 3 Wildcat turnovers and shut them out from the field, allowing them to knot the contest at 50 going into the fourth quarter.
Chanel Wilson’s layup put Bethune up 62-54, and the Wildcats seemed to be poised to seize control of the game. However, the Jags’ pressure defense was able to force a turnover on four consecutive B-CU possessions, allowing them to take a 63-62 on Genova Johnson’s short jumper.
After Wilson’s three-pointer briefly put Bethune back in front 65-63, a pair of free throws from Johnson tied the game at 65 with just 1:23 remaining in the matchup.
Tionna Lidge’s jumper put Southern up 67-65, a lead they would hang on to for good, as a Wilson potential game-tying three-pointer caromed off the rim. Southern secured the win with a pair of free throws from Aleighyah Fontenot in the waning seconds.
Fontenot led two Southern players in double figures with 16 points, connecting on 4-8 from downtown; Genovea Johnson added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Chanel Wilson led the Wildcats with 18 points and five rebounds.
Southern (5-10, 3-1) seeks to keep the winning going when they face Grambling on January 20.
Bethune Cookman falls to 10-6 and 1-2 in the SWAC and will look to get back to winning ways when they hit the road to take on Mississippi Valley on January 20.
