BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Top-seed Bethel (Tenn.) won its Mid-South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament opener today with a 75-68 win over fifth-seed Georgetown (Ky.) in the semifinals at Bowling Green Arena.

The Wildcats (25-4) advance to face either second-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) or No. 6-seed Cumberlands (Ky.) in Monday's championship game. Tip-off for the finals is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.

Bethel started strong and built as much as a 20-point lead late in the third quarter, only to have the Tigers (22-8) battle back to a one-possession game in the final two minutes of regulation.

The Wildcats led 24-13 at the end of the first quarter and stretched that lead to 19 points (36-17) midway through the second stanza.

Bethel's 3-point prowess kept Georgetown at arm's length until the final quarter. Bethel ended the game making 11-of-24 threes, compared to Georgetown's five from deep.

H&W-Dukes Sports Player of the Game MJ Simmons and Mikee Buchanan each hit four 3-pointers to lead the Wildcats. Simmons ended with a game-high 20 points, while Buchanan contributed 14 points.

Georgetown -- who overcame a 22-point deficit in its win over Campbellsville (Ky.) on Friday -- tried to repeat that performance today. After trailing by 15 points (65-50) with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter, the Tigers used a 16-4 run over the next seven minutes to trail 69-66 with 1:46 left.

Bethel responded, scoring six of the final eight points, including making all four of its free throws to ice the game.

Georgetown's Daisy Gale matched Simmons with 20 points to lead the Tigers.