The Lady Bears have played a strong brand of basketball thus far in the young season and their stellar play carried over into Thursday as well as they got double-digit scoring from four players in an 85-66 road win at Coastal Alabama – South.

"I'm extremely proud of our team tonight," Southwest head coach Brent Harris said. "We had a long trip and we found a way to stretch the lead with great effort and unselfish play."

The Lady Bears (4-0) got off to a positive start, putting a balanced offensive attack on display as six different players registered points in the first quarter, led by four each from Kara Beth Addison and Shanell Celestine. Southwest led 20-18 at the end of the first 10:00 of play.

It was more of the same in the second quarter as Addison shined once again with another seven points, complemented by five points from Bethany Graves and four from Gracie Miller. But the Coyotes stayed step-for-step with the Lady Bears who took a narrow 38-36 lead at halftime.

Free throws and an improved defense were key for Southwest in the third quarter as the Lady Bears began to pull away. As a team, the Lady Bears connected on 8-of-9 from the charity stripe while Celestine shined from short-range with three field goals and Miller from long-range with a pair of 3-pointers. On the other side of the floor, Coastal was limited to 11 points in the period. Southwest led 64-47 headed into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, The Lady Bears had another balanced attack which was highlighted by two 3-pointers from Mady Smith as Southwest rode out the momentum built into the third quarter to pick up the win.

Addison and Miller finished with 15 points apiece while Celestine posted 11 and Graves 10. As a team, the Lady Bears shot 23-of-32 from the free throw line.

Southwest returns home for its next contest. The Lady Bears host Southern-Shreveport at 5:30 p.m. on Day 1 of the 2024 Southwest Coca-Cola Classic.