Bethel women's basketball falls in two opening contests of season
The Threshers took a trip to Missouri to play two squads that are receiving votes nationally.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Bethel women's basketball team opened up its 2023-2024 season against RV Columbia College and RV College of the Ozarks on the road. This would also be the first contests for the Threshers with interim head coach Rocky Lamar on the sideline. The Threshers were able to keep it close in the first halves of both games before the opponents started pulling away.
Against Columbia College, Bethel scored first in the contest as transfer junior Natalie Richards started out her first game in a Thresher uniform and knocked home a left handed hook shot on the Threshers first possession.
After the Cougars scored four straight taking the 4-3 lead, they never relinquished it for the remainder of the game. Trailing 15-11, Bethel was able to cut the Columbia lead down to just one point following a three point basket from freshman Madyson McKinzie making the score 17-16.
The Cougars pulled away some at the end of the half as they took the 39-27 lead into the break. Kendall Locke had seven points in the first-half to lead the Threshers.
Bethel scored just nine points in the first ten minutes out of the intermission while Columbia ballooned their lead scoring 23. The fourth quarter saw the Cougars continue to build up their lead as they took the game 85-51.
At College of the Ozarks, the Threshers got doubled up in the first quarter as the Bobcats scored 24 points to Bethel's 12.
The Threshers scored 16 points in the second quarter, but gave up 21 more to trail 45 to 28.
Coming out of the intermission, the Threshers held the Bobcats to their lowest point total in a quarter but were still outscored by eight. Bethel turned in their best quarter in the fourth as they scored 26, but it was too little too late as the Bobcats pulled away for the 93-66 victory.
The Threshers will be back in action Nov. 3 and 4 as they take the trip to Hastings, Neb. for the Hastings Classic. They will take on Hastings on Friday at 6 p.m. and go up against Midland on Saturday at 1 p.m.