Daytona Beach, Fla.— Graduate Cabriel Duren scored a team-high 19 points as SC State drops the 56-64 decision to Bethune-Cookman, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball contest in Daytona Beach, Fla.  With the loss, SC State drops to 5-14 overall and 3-6 in the MEAC while Bethune-Cookman improves to 7-15 overall and 3-6 in the MEAC. 
 
The first half was a game of runs with SC State owning the first run.  The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-2 lead by the 16:38 mark. The Lady Wildcats then used a 7-0 run of their own to take the three point lead, 6-9, with 15:09 remaining in the half.  Bethune-Cookman pushed its lead to six, 9-15, before SC State's offense came back to life.  The Lady Bulldogs rattled off six straight points to tie the game at 15-all with just over eight minutes remaining.  After the Lady Wildcats took a brief one point lead, 15-16, SC State used a 9-2 run to take a six point lead, 24-18, at the 5:48 mark.  Bethune-Cookman managed to tie the game at 28-28 by the 3:07 mark, but the Lady Bulldogs offense remained poised, closing the half on an 8-0 to take the 36-28 lead into intermission.
 
Bethune-Cookman opened the second half on a 6-2 run over the first four-plus minutes to cut the deficit to one, 38-37 with 15:23 remaining in the contest. A traditional three-point play by Chastity Rene Taylor gave the Lady Wildcats the one point lead, 38-37, but SC State quickly counter, as a layup by Cabriel Duren put the Lady Bulldogs ahead by one, 39-38 with 13:22 remaining in the contest.  The teams once again began to exchange baskets with neither team gaining more than a two point advantage until late in the game.  Bethune-Cookman took the five-point lead, 52-57 with 3:58 remaining.  The Lady Wildcats managed to pushed their lead to six with 1:34 left before going on to pick up the 64-56 victory.
 
Graduate Dayshaun Richbow contributed nine points with six rebounds and senior Cherisha Floyd pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds for SC State in the loss.
 
Bethune-Cookman was led in scoring by Chastity Rene Taylor with a game-high 29 points.  Taylor Houston scored 11 and Kailyn Williams scored seven points and pulled in eight rebounds for the Lady Wildcats in the victory.
 
SC State will close its three-game road this Saturday, Feb. 8 when they travel to Dover, Del. to face the Lady Hornets of Delaware State.