#5 Bethel Slips Past Brenau

In an SSAC matchup, the Brenau basketball team lost 70-50 to #5 Bethel (Tenn.) University in Gainesville.

After starting the game down 7-0, the Golden Tigers battled back to take a 10-9 lead off a Briah Woods (SO/Acworth, Ga.) jumper. At the 5:27 mark, Bethel's Mariah McKenty knocked down a three –pointer to give Bethel a 25-18 lead. However, Brenau held close as Kalin Williams (JR/Palmetto, Ga.) finished an old fashioned three-point play to make the score 29-26. A short jumper by Alyssa Nichelson (JR/Jasper, Ga.) allowed the Golden Tigers to go into the half down 31-28.

In the second half, Brenau cut the deficit to 35-33 as Williams knocked down the front end of two foul shots. However, the Wildcats outscored the Golden Tigers 21-2 over a four minutes span to secure the win.

"We played one of the best teams in the nation very closely for most of the game," said head coach Kris Stewart. "We went through a cold spell in the second half where we couldn't finish shots, but overall, it was another good performance and a great learning experience for us".

Brenau was led by Williams' 12 points and nine rebounds. Woods added nine points and five rebounds.

Tayla Foster led all scorers with 20 points.

Brenau (9-10 overall, 4-6 SSAC) next travels to Mount Vernon, Georgia to face Brewton-Parker College. Tip-off is at 5:30 eastern.