SENATOBIA – Four Rangers finished in double figures as interim coach Shane Oakley and Northwest picked up their first division victory in a 78-75 win against Itawamba on Monday night at Howard Coliseum.

Northwest ran its winning streak to three games to improve to 6-3 on the season, while Itawamba dropped to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the MACJC North.

After jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the early going, Northwest fell victim to a 10-4 run by ICC that allowed the Indians to take a brief 12-11 advantage.

Thanks to a Devon Benson layup and a deep 3-pointer from Jitaurious Gordon, the Rangers quickly regained the lead, which slowly swelled to its largest margin of 12 as the first half expired.

ICC came out with a vengeance in the second half, putting the Rangers on the ropes with a 15-4 run that cut the Indians' deficit to 46-45.

Amid foul trouble, the Rangers' starting five checked back into the contest to push the lead back to 10 with another Gordon 3-pointer at the 8:23 mark of the second half.

Itawamba would make one last push with less than a minute to go, cutting the Ranger lead back down to 77-75 with eight seconds left, thanks to Anfernee Diggins' 3-pointer.

Quez Williamson would miss one of his two free throws down the stretch, however, Northwest got the defensive stop it needed on the other end of the floor, denying the Indians a layup and a buzzer-beating attempt from 3-point range to seal the victory.

Northwest shot 46 percent from the floor and outscored ICC 18-4 in fast break points. The Indians bested the Rangers in second chance points, 18-9. 

Gordon led all scorers with 24 for his fourth 20-point performance of the season. Benson added 19 and Williamson finished just shy of a double-double at 11 points and nine rebounds, while Kendrick Fountain scored 10 against his former team.

Ma'Darius Hobson led ICC with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, followed by 12 points from Rance Champ and 11 from Shamar Brown.

Northwest will enjoy an extended break for the holidays, before hosting Arkansas Baptist on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. The Rangers previously defeated the Buffaloes on the road earlier this season, 89-78.