CLARKSDALE - A 28-24 halftime lead quickly evaporated for Northwest in Thursday's 66-44 loss at Coahoma, as the Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Rangers 42-16 over the final two quarters.
Northwest fell to 9-7 overall and 3-4 in conference play with its second consecutive loss, while Coahoma improved to 11-3 on the season and 5-1 against MACCC competition.
Northwest got off to a solid start early and took a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Although the Lady Tigers threatened to take the lead several times over the course of the second period, the Lady Rangers held on for the four-point advantage at the halftime break.
Things started off slow for both teams in the third period, but a 34-34 tie quickly gave way to a 10-2 run for Coahoma, as the Lady Tigers ended the quarter with a 44-36 lead. From there, Coahoma hit the gas pedal and never looked back, outscoring Northwest 22-8 in the fourth period to pull away for the 22-point victory.
Tierra Trotter led Northwest with 14 points, followed by 10 from
Kolten Blakeney, who also gathered a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
I'Yana Ragin also pulled down seven rebounds despite being limited to five points, while
Claire Leak provided eight points off the bench.
Elishia Wilson led Coahoma with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, followed by a 12-point effort from Ashanti Backus. Nakia Cheatham also collected 10 rebounds, eight points and five assists for the Lady Tigers.
Northwest shot 24 percent for the contest and 17 percent from beyond the arc, while Coahoma shot 39 percent from the floor and 32 percent from three-point range. The Lady Tigers also out-rebounded the Lady Rangers 52-31.
Next up for Northwest is a home tussle with East Central on Monday, January 24. Although the two teams haven't faced each other much over the years, the Lady Rangers narrowly lead the all-time series 9-8, with the last meeting resulting in an 87-83 loss on November 6, 2017 in Decatur.
Tipoff for Monday's contest is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. at Howard Coliseum. The game will also mark Sophomore Night for the Lady Rangers, with Blakeney, Ragin, Trotter and
Sha'Kirria Everett to be honored prior to game time.
Tickets are available at nwccrangers.com/tickets with broadcast coverage available on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live.
