SENATOBIA – After gaining a 14-point edge midway through the second quarter, Northwest watched as its lead evaporated in a close two-point loss to Itawamba on Thursday evening in Howard Coliseum.

Northwest managed to erase a seven-point deficit over the final 42 seconds of regulation but Taylor Fletcher's game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer fell just short. The loss dropped the Lady Rangers to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in the MACJC North.

Itawamba improved to 14-3 on the season and 6-1 in division play.

Whitney Watkins drained a quick three to get the Lady Indians going but Northwest quickly turned the tables with an 11-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from I'esha Mosby and Zanaiyah Daniel.

Trailing 11-3 with 4:08 left in the opening stanza, ICC managed to close out the first quarter with a three-pointer from Shomaria Overton and a jumper from Tabreea Gandy, trimming the Lady Rangers' lead to 15-8.

After a Sara Friloux layup brought Itawamba back within five, Northwest would use back-to-back three pointers from Claire Fleming to spark an 11-2 run, pushing the Lady Rangers to their highest advantage of 14 points, 28-14.

ICC managed once more to bring itself back within single digits as the first half drew to a close but Mallory Russell ended things on a high note, sinking a rare three at the buzzer to send Northwest into halftime with the 34-25 lead.

A quick 6-0 run to open the third quarter put Northwest back on its toes, as Itawamba pulled within three at 34-31. Despite responses in the form of a Russell layup and a Fleming three-pointer, an eight-point Lady Rangers' lead was erased over the course of the quarter as Gandy's jumper allowed the Lady Indians to retake the lead at 44-43 with 1:02 left.

Northwest played behind for the entire fourth quarter as ICC twice extended its lead to seven points. As Xahiir Burgess' fastbreak layup gave Itawamba a 61-54 lead with 42 seconds remaining, Lindsay Hall helped make things interesting with a quick three on the opposite end of the floor, bringing Northwest back within four.

A turnover from ICC's Kealy Wilson would then result in a steal for Kayla Freeman and a fastbreak layup for Ariel Tunstall, cutting the Lady Indians' lead back to two with 25 seconds to go. Friloux then committed a five second violation, allowing Northwest to hold for the final shot. 

Despite the best attempts of Fletcher and the Northwest offense however, a stifiling defensive effort from Itawamba prevented a solid look for the final shot, allowing Itawamba to escape with the win and the season sweep of the Lady Rangers.

For the fourth straight contest, Fleming shot lights out from three-point range, finishing 4-of-6 (67%) with a team-high 12 points along with three rebounds and two blocks. Russell also added 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

Watkins and Wilson paced Itawamba with a pair of 12-point, four rebound efforts, while Burgess scored 10 points and seven rebounds.

Northwest shot 58 percent from the floor in the second quarter but finished the game 43 percent shooting. Both teams ended the game in a three-point shooting duel with ICC finishing with the 50 percent edge, compared to 43 percent for the Lady Rangers.

Itawamba also outpaced the Lady Rangers with a 29-12 margin in points off turnovers.

Northwest now turns its sights to Coahoma on Monday, Feb. 3. The Lady Rangers previously defeated the Lady Tigers 73-69 in an overtime battle on Jan. 9.

Tipoff from Clarksdale is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Links to live broadcast and live stats will be available through nwccrangers.com and on Twitter (@NWCC_Rangers).