GOODMAN - Knotted up at 35-35 at the conclusion of the first half, Northwest broke free with a 44-31 scoring span in the second half to earn a valuable 79-66 conference victory at Holmes on Monday evening.

Isaiah Gaines totaled 22 points and nine rebounds to lead all Northwest scorers, while Joseph Cooper earned 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. London Taylor also added 14 points to help the Rangers to a 7-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in conference play.

Northwest led 12-5 in the early stages of the first half, only for Holmes to rally on the home floor and tie the contest. From there, the Rangers and Bulldogs battled back and forth to send the game to a 35-35 tie entering the locker room.

Throughout the second half, the Rangers began to slowly pull away, taking advantage of fouls and other miscues from Holmes down the stretch. Northwest ended the night shooting 50 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point range, while the Bulldogs struggled in the second half and finished 38 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Holmes earned a 17-7 advantage in points off turnovers and both teams finished deadlocked at 33 rebounds apiece. Zandon Haralson gave the Rangers a boost off the bench, scoring seven points and collecting seven rebounds.

For Holmes, the Bulldogs were led by 19 points from Caleb Campbell and 10 points off the bench from Eric Green. Jordan Brister added nine points, while Tyler Talley was responsible for eight points and a team-high six rebounds.

Northwest will conclude the fall portion of the schedule on Thursday, December 9 at SAU Tech. The game is slated for a 7 P.M. tipoff from Camden, Ark. and broadcast details will be announced the day of the contest.