Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Junior newcomer Talisha Davis hit a three-pointer from the right wing with nine seconds to go to give Eastern Kentucky a 66-65 win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday night at the Lady Pirate Invitational hosted by East Carolina University.

EKU trailed by 13 points with 11 minutes to go and was down by eight with 6:54 left in the game. Freshman Alex Jones led the Lady Colonels (2-3) with a career-best 26 points. The Elizabethtown native went 11-for-14 from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.

Davis finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Freshman Michaelea Kleist contributed a career-high 13 points to go along with five rebounds.

Sarah Bolden’s jumper gave Bethune-Cookman a 55-42 lead with 11:13 left in the game. A three-pointer by Jalisa Isaac kept the Lady Wildcats in front by eight with 6:54 to go. However, BCU went over three minutes without scoring and the Lady Colonels staged a late-game comeback.

A three-pointer by Kleist cut the deficit to five and began an 11-1 run. She tied the game for the first time since it was 0-0 with a jumper at the 2:45 mark. Two free throws by Jones with 2:04 to go gave Eastern Kentucky its first lead, 63-61.

Demetria Frank tied it with two free throws of her own and then put her team in front 65-63 with a lay-up with 1:13 remaining. BCU missed two shots from the field but went to the free throw line with a two-point lead and two shots with 23 seconds showing on the clock. Jasmine Daniels missed both attempts to set up the game-winner by Davis. Davis forced a steal at the other end before Bethune-Cookman (1-5) could get off a shot.

Eastern Kentucky shot 50 percent for the game and 80 percent (12-for-15) from the free throw line. The Lady Wildcats made only 65.3 percent (15-for-23) of their free throw attempts. EKU held a 36-26 rebounding advantage, but committed 23 turnovers compared to only 12 for BCU.

Eastern started slow, scoring just two points in the first three minutes of the game. A lay-up by BCU’s Frank gave the Lady Wildcats an 11-2 lead five minutes into the game. The Lady Colonels began to connect and scored six straight to draw within three, 11-8, with 13:06 to play in the first half. Kleist scored four points during the short run.

A three-pointer by Davis cut the deficit to one, 15-14, with 8:44 showing on the clock. Bethune-Cookman pushed back out ahead. A three by Corinne Owens made it a seven-point game, 23-16, with less than five to go in the first period. Another trey by Owens pushed the BCU lead to 10, 28-18, with 3:43 remaining before intermission.

A jumper by Davis with just six seconds before the first horn sent EKU to the locker room down by five, 32-27.

Kleist made four of six shot attempts and set a new career-high with eight points in the first half.

Six points by Jones in the first two minutes of the second half made it a one-point game, 34-33. The freshman scored Eastern’s first 10 points, and 12 of the team’s first 14, to begin the second half. However, Bethune-Cookman scored 10 straight to go back on top by double digits.

Daniels scored six of the 10. Euneshia Proctor capped the run with a jumper to give the Lady Wildcats a 44-33 lead with 16:09 remaining in the second half.

Frank finished with a team best 15 points to go along with six assists and four steals for BCU. Bolden added 13 points, eight boards and four assists.

The Lady Colonels will open Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday when they travel to face Murray State. Tip-off in Murray, Ky., is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.