Karsceal Turner – I Got NEXT!
Photo credit: B-CU athletics
Bethune-Cookman’s Men’s basketball program has a good 10 games under their belts. Sadly, only three of the 10 are wins and all at home. The Wildcats have dropped their last five games, all on the road. The recent loss was against Volusia County rival Stetson University.
The Stetson men’s basketball team used an 18-point first half lead for the win over B-CU; earning head coach Corey Williams the first victory of his collegiate coaching career. Bethune-Cookman held Stetson to 15 second-half points, but the Wildcat rally fell short in a 56-52 loss to the Hatters Tuesday night.
Willie Green scored 18 points as Stetson (1-9) took a 41-23 halftime lead, but made just 5 of 22 after the intermission.
“We played a terrific first half of basketball, and then the second half…we didn’t show up,” said Williams. “We were very fortunate to win that basketball game. It’s interesting that you could play so well the first half and then not come back out with that same energy and enthusiasm in the second half,” he said.
The Wildcats were a more intense team in the second half. But it was still not quite enough.
Troy Simmons’ bucket pulled Bethune-Cookman within one at 51-50 with 2:22 left. Stetson’s Green made two free throws a minute later to extend its lead to three points. After Mikel Trapp hit a lay-up with 51 seconds to make it 53-52, Green answered again and Brian Pegg made one of two free throws with three seconds left to seal the win.
Clemmye Owens, who was good for 12 points for Bethune-Cookman (2-8), Tony Kynard had 11 and Barry Smith double-doubled with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
I challenged Barry and he stepped up to the challenge with regards to his energy.
The Wildcats open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play Saturday at Norfolk State on the sixth game of their 12-game road trip. It pains me to have to write about losses but this is basically that time of the year in a collegiate team’s basketball schedule where they are on the road a lot and also getting those “money games” in. Act like you know.
Sadly, you won’t see the Cage Cats back in action in historic Moore gymnasium until January 11. Me? I go to their practices regularly and I’ll be a familiar face in the gym because I Got NEXT!
