Kerrighan Dunn scored 16 points, and Kayla Clark had 11 rebounds to help Bethune-Cookman to a 56-48 win over Georgia State on Wednesday afternoon.
The game was the opener for the 2023 Georgia State Tournament hosted by the GSU Panthers.
Trailing 36-31 entering the fourth quarter, Bethune-Cookman (2-2) outscored the Panthers 25-12 in the final period.
BCU started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run, thanks largely to Camerah Langston’s three-point play, followed by a jumper from Chanelle McDonald, which tied the game at 36-all. Moments later, a fastbreak layup from D’Shantae Edwards gave BCU a 40-38 lead – the team’s first lead in the game since the 9:16 mark of the third quarter.
Georgia State (3-1) would knot the game at 40-40 with a putback layup from Deasia Merrill.
However, the Wildcats used an 8-1 run over the next four minutes to build a 48-41 advantage – with Kerrighan Dunn supplying all eight of those points, including a step-back three-pointer from the right elbow.
Defensively, the Cats limited GSU to just one field goal over the course of the final 6:13 of the game, that being an Alyssa Phillip layup at the 2:04 mark.
BCU converted on 8 of 10 shots from the foul line down the stretch, allowing the Wildcats back-to-back nonconference wins for the first time since defeating Appalachian State (Dec. 19) and Stetson (Dec. 20), respectively, at the Hatter Classic in DeLand, Florida during the 2019-20 season.
During the third quarter, Georgia State built a 34-27 lead with help from Mikyla Tolivert and Merrill, as the host Panthers ran off eight consecutive points over the course of the first three minutes of the second half.
Dunn’s two first-half three-pointers helped Bethune-Cookman build a 25-22 halftime lead.
O’Mariyah Tucker finished with six points in the first half, connecting on all four of her attempts at the free throw line. BCU shot 54.5 percent from the field, converting 12 points off 13 GSU turnovers.
For the game, the Wildcats defense limited the Panthers to 0-for-14 shooting from three-point range while connecting on four (4) three-pointers of their own. Dunn finished the contest 4 of 6 from three-point territory.
Georgia State was led by Tolivert with 17 points, followed in double figures by Merrill with 12 points. Merrill added 12 rebounds and picked up six blocks.
BCU was led in scoring by Dunn with 16, while Wilson finished with 10 points – all coming from the foul line. However, Wilson went on to finish with a game-high four assists.
In her first game of the season for the Wildcats, Kayla Clark supplied 11 rebounds and a blocked shot.
Courtesy: Bethune-Cookman Athletics
