Bobcats Down Lady Sea Devils

Cape Fear Community College dropped a tough home contest to Bryant & Stratton College (VA) on February 8, falling 78-56 as the Sea Devils played their first game without sophomore captain Maggie Hawley following her injury.

Bryant & Stratton set the tone early, jumping out to a 22-6 lead after the first quarter and carrying that momentum into halftime with a 45-22 advantage. Cape Fear showed more fight after the break, outscoring the Bobcats 21-18 in the third quarter, but the early deficit was too much to overcome.

The Sea Devils were led by Cara Trippett, who finished with 20 points while knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Monica Surratt added 15 points and a strong 13-rebound effort inside, and Kelize Velez-Galan chipped in 11 points along with four steals. Yamorie Hardison posted an all-around performance with eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Despite being shorthanded, Cape Fear continued to compete throughout the afternoon and showed flashes of strong energy on both ends.

"We were a step behind all afternoon," said Head Coach Felecity Havens. "They were able to run the floor early and build a lead in the first half, and we just weren't able to recover from it. There's a lot to learn from this one as we finish out the year and prepare for the conference tournament," Havens said. "We'll bounce back and get ready for FTCC this weekend."

The Sea Devils take the court again this Friday as they welcome Fayetteville Tech to the Schwartz Center. Game time is set for 5:00 pm.