The Wildcats got off to a fast start with the hot shooting on senior guard Clint Blackburn. Blackburn hit four three-pointers in the first nine minutes of the contest as Bethel opened up a for point lead. The teams battled back and forth and with 5:33 remaining, the Bulldogs had overtaken the Wildcats and led by six. But, the Wildcats battled back and took a three point leads on Justin Cockrell’s bucket with 1:21 remaining. The Bulldogs hit a three to tie the score up at the end of the half, 37-37.

But, what had worked well in the first half, faded in the second. Bethel shot 52% in the first half, but went cold in the second hitting only 31%. Cumberland did not take many shots (20) in the second but shot 55%. With the Wildcats leading by two with 6:51 remaining, the Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run that the Wildcats could not recover from. Blackburn hit two more threes in the final two minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Bulldogs edged out the Wildcats, 63-69.

Antione Lessesene had 19 points, eight rebounds and one assist. Blackburn had 18 points and two assists. LeRoy Bell added nine points, one rebound and five assists.

The Wildcats are 12-17 (3-16) on the season. They will be in action on Saturday, March 1, 2008 for a 4:00pm tip off with Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Miss. Bethel will find out on Saturday night where they will begin their TranSouth Tournament play. Be sure to check http://www.bethel/athletics.com to find out where the ‘Cats Tournament journey will begin.