SENATOBIA - It wasn't the best night shooting for either team, but that wasn't enough to damper a 66-57 win for Northwest in its home debut against Itawamba on Monday night.
Northwest improved to 1-1 on the season and Itawamba dropped to the same record after the loss.
Northwest shot 35 percent from the floor, slightly better than a 34 percent output from the Indians. The Rangers made 25 out of 71 shot attempts and finished 1-18 from three-point range.
Northwest led by one, 11-10, midway through the first half and eventually swelled its lead to a 10-point margin, 20-10, with 7:56 remaining until halftime.Â
Back-to-back baskets from Rod Jones helped Itawamba slice the deficit in half, but the Rangers never let go of the lead for the remainder of the half and entered the locker room with a 30-23 advantage.
Northwest wasted little time getting off to a hot second half start, as a
Carlos Curry layup and a
Forte Prater jumper pushed the Rangers' lead back into double figures less than a minute into the half.
Aside from a few moments where the Indians trimmed the deficit below five, Northwest hovered its lead around seven to 10 points for most of the second half. Itawamba managed to close the gap from 11 points to seven points with just under a minute remaining, but a pair of rebounds from
James Richards III and free throws from Richards and Prater kept the Rangers in control for the nine-point victory.
Curry fell just shy of a double-double, racking up a team-high 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Prater, a freshman from Starkville, also had a solid outing with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Richards and
DeAntoni Gordon also posted 10 points apiece, with Richards earning seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Jones led Itawamba with 21 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brandon Brown also paced the Indians with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Northwest will return to action on Thursday, January 28 at nemesis Northeast. The Tigers stand at 2-0 on the season after wins against Holmes and at Mississippi Delta.
Tipoff from Booneville will be a 6 p.m. start with a live broadcast available on
nemcctv.com.
