Basketball Falls to #4 Bethel

The Brenau basketball team pushed #4 Bethel (Tenn.) University, but were unable to capture the win as the visitors prevailed 66-54 in a highly competitive Southern States Athletic Conference matchup in Gainesville on Saturday.

Brenau started slowly as the visitors opened up a 13-4 lead to open the game. However Brenau rallied with a 12-2 run to close the gap to 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.

The battle continued in the second quarter as neither team could find an advantage. The Wildcats extended their lead to eight, but sophomore Autumn Dodson blocked a fast break layup and sprinted to the other end for a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one point at the half.

In the second half, both offenses struggled shooting the ball, but the Golden Tigers finally took the lead late 51-50. However, Bethel responded with a 6-0 run to pull away down the stretch.

"Today we proved that we can compete with the best," said head coach Kris Stewart. "However, we need to find a way to finish these games. We are still competing and I have faith that this team will finish well down the stretch."

Dodson led the Golden Tigers with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, while Quinnesha Turner added 12 points. Briah Woods also added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Shamon Pearson led Bethel with 20 points.

Brenau outshot Bethel from the floor at 39% (21-54), while the Wildcats were 33% (20-61) from the field.

Brenau (7-7, 2-4 SSAC) next travels to Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Saturday to play William Carey University. The Golden Tigers defeated the Crusaders 63-58 earlier in the season in Gainesville.