Bethune-Cookman went five minutes into the game without scoring a field goal. Meanwhile, Florida Gulf Coast took advantage and put in 10 quick points. Although the Lady Wildcats eventually came around and did not quit fighting, the deficit eventually led to a 76-59 defeat for B-CU.

In the opening minutes, nothing seemed to be right and the Lady Wildcats were not playing their game as usual. Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to a 10-0 lead on B-CU. Once the Lady Wildcats came around and got on track, the game stayed close to that mark for much of the first half.

The Eagles of FGCU led by as many as 13 in the first half, but also as few as 6 in the waning minutes of the half. With four minutes on the clock, B-CU came roaring back to cut the lead on the heels of quick turnovers and fast break layups. Bethune-Cookman went into halftime down by 8.

The first bit of the second half sped along in the same image, with FGCU keeping B-CU just at an arm’s length. However, late in the half, with B-CU losing key players to the bench for foul trouble, the Eagles blew the game open and never looked back, assuming a game-high lead of 19 with 3:54 left in the game. Though the Lady Wildcats never backed down, they were eventually downed in a 17-point loss.

Leading all scorers for the Lady Wildcats were Jasmine Daniels and Demetria Frank, both with 12 points. Daniels went 2-4 from three-point range and added a solid 4-4 from the free throw line.

In addition to her shooting, Frank snagged 3 steals in the game. Leading the team in rebounds was Sarah Bolden with 10 boards.

The next game for the Lady Wildcats is Monday afternoon as the Stetson Hatters travel to Daytona Beach for a 5 p.m. tip-off at Moore Gymnasium.