Karsceal Turner – I Got NEXT!
The Bethune-Cookman University women’s basketball team improved to 7-4 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference competition after the Wildcats bashed the North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles 71-57, earning their largest league victory of the season, Saturday, Feb. 14 in Moore Gymnasium.
The Lady Cats set a great tone for the Valentine’s Day observance. The only persons in the gym NOT feeling the love were the NCCU Lady Eagles as three Cats finished in double figures. A balanced scoring effort guided B-CU to its third-straight home victory. The Lady Cats earned their largest league victory of the season.
Senior Terrenisha Hollis led B-CU on the offensive end with a team-best 18, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, 1-for-3 from behind the arc and 5-for-5 from the line. Hollis was followed by Texan duo, Kendra Cooper and Alea Godfrey with 17 and 11 respectively.
The Lady Cats 6-4 sophomore center Kailyn Williams swatted eight shots, grabbed 15 rebounds and dropped a quiet seven.
NCCU was paced by Kristin Askew and Tia Clement, who came off the NCCU bench to contribute 10 points each, while the Lady Eagles’ leading scorer and rebounder, Racquel Davis, was held to four boards and a single point in just 15 minutes of action with four personal fouls.
The Lady Cats used an 8-0 run to gain their largest lead of the contest at 35-18 and held a 40-25 lead at halftime, but NCCU used a 9-0 run in the second half to trim the deficit to 45-39 with 12:27 left in the contest.
With still an eight-point gap at 60-52 with 4:55 remaining, the Wildcats used a 9-2 spurt to put the game away. I’m really impressed with this team. There were always sparks of brilliance but they never seemed to mesh correctly at the right time.
I had to give coach some “dap” on that game ya’ll.
Upgrades to historic Moore Gymnasium no help for Wildcat men’s hoops in 65-51 loss
I was happy to be back in friendly confines as I returned to my second home on B-CU’s campus. It has been a hot-minute since I’ve been to a game because these Master degree courses had a foot up my Gluteus Maximus. I see that light at the end of the tunnel as August and another graduation ceremony arrive rather rapidly. Although I certainly felt at home in the hotbox that is the Moore gymnasium, this wasn’t the same dusty, outdated gym I remember running 16’s and suicides in. I marveled at the new railing and fresh paint and flooring on the lower level seats, which now have backs attached to them. The whole look coincided with conference championship banners opposite colors for each school represented in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Yeah, Richard V. Moore gymnasium, you’ve come a long way baby. I’ll leave the discussion about how the team needs an official arena right here.
To compliment how good the home gym looked, the Cage Cats were all decked out with fresh grey-colored uniforms with maroon and gold trim. As good as B-CU looked aesthetically, they fell short on the floor, falling to the North Carolina Central Eagles 65-51 in conference action Saturday.
Bethune-Cookman briefly took the lead after trailing by 12 at halftime, but North Carolina Central regained control and pulled away behind Jordan Parks’ 16 points, some fluid ball movement, and a chemistry, which made me miss the sport more than I already did, (I really have to get back in the gym guys, like SERIOUSLY). March madness is right there staring at us.
Anyway back to Saturday’s action. NCCU (19-6, 11-0 MEAC) has now defeated 29 consecutive MEAC opponents, one of the nation’s longest streaks against conference foes.
The Eagles boasted a 33-21 cushion after the opening half. Although the Wildcats steadily chipped away at the NCCU’s advantage and took a 42-41 lead on a pair of free throws by Brandon Stewart with 11 minutes remaining. The defending MEAC champions responded just 16 seconds later with a three-pointer by Anthony McDonald for a lead the Eagles would not relinquish.
Parks scored a team-best 16 points, including nine in the second half, to top four double-digit scorers for NCCU. Senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard was good for 14 points, six assists, four rebounds and a season-high three blocked shots, while McDonald finished with 12 points on four three-pointers, and senior forward Karamo Jawara dropped 10 points, seven boards and four assists in the victory.
Both B-CU teams take on another Carolinian family when the Aggies of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University visit Richard V. Moore gymnasium. I’ll be in my regular seat directly behind the Wildcat bench when I’m not roving the sidelines. The column is called I Got NEXT!
