DeLand, Fla. - Sophomore guard Kerri Simpson (Charleston, Tenn.) scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead three scorers in double figures, but the Stetson women's basketball team (1-8) couldn't catch up late in the game in a 65-60 loss to Volusia County rival Bethune-Cookman (4-7) at the Edmunds Center on Monday. Junior center Daphnee Frieson (Mobile, Ala.) tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while junior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) added 11 points and five assists.
B-CU used 14 second half offensive rebounds to maintain control of the tempo and pull away after the two teams went to the locker room at halftime tied 27-27. Although Stetson scored the first basket of the second half, Euneshia Proctor's three-pointer with 17:57 left led a 7-0 run for Bethune-Cookman, which led the rest of the way home.
The Lady Wildcats led by as many as 12 points with 5:32 to go and by 11 with 59 seconds on the clock, but a valiant Stetson effort in the final minute whittled the final margin down to five points.
Junior forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.), the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week, grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for Stetson and also scored five points. Junior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) added six points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal. The Hatters out-rebounded the Lady Wildcats 43-39 and out-shot them .393 to .317 in the contest.
Demetria Frank led the way for Bethune-Cookman with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists; she knocked down 14 of 16 free throw attempts in the game. Euneshia Proctor had 15 points, eight rebounds and five steals for B-CU while Sarah Bolden put up an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. Jasmine Daniel scored 10 points.
The Hatters are back in action Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Edmunds Center when they host St. Francis (Pa.) in the first round of the Hatter Classic. American University faces the University at Buffalo in the opening game, which tips off at 3 p.m. The two winners and the two losers meet at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday; Stetson will play in the second game regardless of Monday's result. Live Stats and Hatter Vision are available at www.GoHatters.com.
