SENATOBIA – Leading by seven with 5:26 left to go, Northwest fell victim to a 15-3 run down the stretch in a 77-72 loss to ASU Mid-South on Monday evening.

Northwest dropped to 11-6 on the season as the visiting Greyhounds improved to 16-5, earning the season sweep against the Rangers.

Ike Moore torched the Rangers in the early stages of the contest, hitting back-to-back three-pointers and a jumper for eight quick points. Moore would go on to lead ASU Mid-South with 29 points on the night.

Despite the fiery effort from the Greyhounds, Northwest fought close throughout the first half, tying and regaining the lead on several occasions. Trailing 22-20 with less than nine minutes left in the first half, the Rangers used a three-point basket from Kavonte Tunstall and back-to-back jumpers from James Richards III to take a 26-22 advantage.

ASU Mid-South would tie the game two more times in the first half and at 28-28, the Greyhounds embarked on a 13-4 run to conclude the final 4:40 of the first half with a 41-32 lead at the break.

Zach Byrd helped the Greyhounds keep the momentum into the second half as his three-pointer and layup made it a 12-point lead just three minutes into the second half.

Tomias Brand and Jakobi Pearson brought Northwest back within eight with a pair of layups, only to see Jalen Lynn push the Greyhounds back ahead by double digits with a three-point basket with 14:19 remaining in regulation.

Montez Allen would respond with a jumper to cut the lead back down to nine, sparking a 13-2 run that tied the game at 54 apiece with 11 minutes to go.

Trailing 59-56, the Rangers hit back-to-back threes from McGee, Jr. and Pearson to take a four-point lead, 63-59. Allen then sank a three-pointer followed by a jumper from Richards III to give Northwest its seven-point lead with 5:26 remaining.

Any celebration Northwest had was short-lived however, as Jalen Lynn quickly sank back-to-back threes as Moore hit a jumper and a three-pointer to give ASU Mid-South a 73-71 advantage with 1:32 left to go.

Northwest had several opportunities to tie or regain the lead but missed a pair of shot attempts down the stretch, allowing the Greyhounds to seal the deal on free throws.

Richards III led the Rangers with 23 points and nine rebounds, followed by 16 points and seven rebounds from Pearson. 

Moore and Lynn combined for 49 of ASU Mid-South's 77 points. 

Northwest will step back into division play on Thursday, Jan. 30 against Itawamba at 7:30 p.m. Follow along with live stats and live broadcast at nwccrangers.com.