McKENZIE, Tenn.--Bethel shot extremely well as the Wildcats pulled away early to run away with a 86-57 win in the conference opener in Crisp Arena. 

Cumberland (8-8, 0-1 MSC) struggled from the field and had to deal with foul trouble all game. The Phoenix finished shooting 17-of-50 (37.5%) from the field and went 5-of-17 from three. Cumberland turned the ball over 20 times that led to 33 points for the Wildcats.  Mariyah Person led the team in points off the bench scoring 13 points, 10 in the first half. Kayla Gordon finished with 12 points and Ever Walker posted 11. 

16-ranked Bethel (15-0, 1-0) defended home court shooting extremely well, knocking down 12 three-pointers in the game. The Wildcats finished shooting 27-of-62 (43.5%_ from the field and shot 44.4% from three. Bethel added 20 points from the line out of 27 attempts. Freshmen Micah Hart and Hallie Turner led Bethel in points as the distribution was even throughout. They each scored 14 points with two assists in a little over 20 minutes of action. Kylee Reynolds and Mikee Buchanan each finished in double figures posting 11 and 10 points a piece.  

Both teams came out firing in the first quarter asBethel scored the first bucket of the game. Cumberland answered with a 6-0 spurt as Walker, Colston, and Eubanks all made baskets. Buchanan made a triple that Gordon answered, but Buchanan drained another to spark a 5-0 Wildcats spurt. Tarpley made back-to-back plays to go on 4-0 run for CU, but Turner hit a floater to bring the score to 13-12 at the first stoppage. 

The Wildcats took over the second half of the first quarter and went off for 16 points. Bethel closed the quarter on an 18-6 run to get ahead 28-19. The six points for Cumberland came from two three balls from Person.

Cumberland struggled in the second quarter scoring just four points in the first eight minutes of the second quarter. The scoring drought for Cumberland allowed Bethel to go on a 17-4 run and take a commanding lead up 45-23. 

The Phoenix gambled and put in their starters with some foul trouble in the final two minutes of the half. The move paid off CU went on a 6-0 run, but Bethel scored the final four points of the half. Going into the second half, Colston had four fouls while Tarpley and Eubanks each had three. 

The scoring slump continued for the Phoenix in the second half as Bethel went on a 7-3 run to start the quarter forcing CU into a timeout trailing 56-32 with 6:30 left in the third. 

Trailing 60-32, Cumberland picked up four straight points from the free throw line, but two more threes for the Wildcats. Walker scored in the lane for Cumberland, the Wildcats responded with a bucket and a free throw before Cumberland got a bucket from Gordon and a free throw from Person to end the quarter and head into the fourth down 69-43. 


The Wildcats held on and extended the lead and fourth quarter running away with a 86-57 win. The game on Saturday has been postponed due to the snow and ice in the forecast. There is a chance the Phoenix will make that game up on Monday, but as of now Cumberland's next game will be next Thursday at Campbellsville.