SENATOBIA - A 20-point outing from guard
Joseph Cooper was dampened by four Hinds players scoring in double figures, as Northwest was outscored 26-16 over the final 10 minutes of regulation in Thursday's 74-65 loss to the Bulldogs.
Northwest dropped to 12-5 on the year and 5-4 in MACCC play, while Hinds improved to 5-11 overall and 3-4 against conference competition.
From the opening tip, it was evident that Hinds was going to pose problems for the Rangers all night, as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-2 advantage within the first four minutes of the contest. A fastbreak layup from
Kavonte Tunstall helped spark a mini run for Northwest, capped off by a three-pointer from Cooper that brought the Rangers within a 10-9 margin.
However, Northwest was unable to gain the lead over the rest of the first half as the Bulldogs did just enough to remain slightly ahead. Hinds took a lead of seven points on a three-pointer from
Mario Fenner, Jr. at the 8:01 mark of the half, before the Rangers responded to tie the game at 25 apiece with 3:30 left to go.
Hinds would close out the final three minutes of the opening half by outscoring Northwest 11-5 down the stretch, helping the Bulldogs to a 36-30 lead at the break. The Rangers trailed by nine with less than a minute to go, only for
Zandon Haralson to knock down a three-point bucket and then a jump shot as time expired.
A pair of baskets helped Hinds open the second half with a 10-point advantage, but the Rangers once again responded with a 7-0 run to pull back within three, 40-37. Northwest would eventually pull within two on a
London Taylor three-pointer and a three from
James Richards III propelled the Rangers to a 45-44 lead at the 14-minute mark.
From there, the two teams would trade baskets for the next 10 minutes of the half, resulting in nine lead changes and one tie. Despite the newfound momentum, Northwest never led by more than one and with 5:15 left in regulation, Hinds broke free on an 11-1 run to take a 67-56 advantage with 2:30 left to go.
Northwest was able to pull back within single digits with under a minute to go, but by then it was too little, too late as Hinds escaped Howard Coliseum with the victory.
Hinds shot lights out for the first half, totaling 48 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the free throw line. By comparison, the Rangers were 39 percent from the floor, despite going 40 percent from three-point land. The gap widened after the final buzzer, with the Bulldogs outshooting Northwest 51 percent to 34 percent.
Hinds also bested the Rangers in the paint, outscoring Northwest 36-20. Reserves for both teams played well, providing nearly 30 points apiece to their respective clubs. For Northwest,
Jaylon Sanders led the way with 13 bench points, while the Bulldogs got 15 apiece from Jalen Myers and Treylan Smith.
Gaines led the Rangers in the rebounding category, finishing with eight boards.
Ethan Pickett provided seven points for the Rangers, followed by five apiece from Haralson and
James Richards III.
Kyle Hayman led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while the former Ranger Fenner finished one shy of a double-double in his homecoming (13 points, nine rebounds).
Northwest will look to bounce back into the win column with a road battle at Itawamba on Monday, January 31. Tipoff from Fulton is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. with broadcast coverage available on letsgoicctv.com.
