SENATOBIA - For the second consecutive game, Northwest sophomore guard
Jaylon Sanders shattered his career-high total for points, providing a bright spot in the Rangers' 91-78 loss on Monday evening to Arkansas State Mid-South.
Sanders, a third-year sophomore from Southaven, finished the game with 26 points and four rebounds, earning 17 of his points in the first half. His previous career-high came less than two weeks ago in a road win at Mississippi Delta, where he scored 21 points to help the Rangers to a non-conference road win.
Trouble began for Northwest early in the contest as the Greyhounds took a 5-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. With ASU Mid-South firing on all cylinders to start the evening, the Rangers eventually trailed by as many as 12 points, 24-12, with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
However, Northwest caught a spark from there after a 30-second timeout. DeShun Dunn came out of the brief break with a good jumper, followed by a three-pointer on the next possession, kickstarting what would become an 18-4 run over the next four minutes and change. Tiquale Taylor's three-pointer off a steal from Terry Joyner helped the Rangers take their first lead, 28-26, with 7:57 to go.
After taking a timeout of their own, the Greyhounds regrouped and regained the lead on a Jailen Anderson layup, later stretching the lead back to nine with 1:47 left in the half. Despite the newfound momentum from ASU Mid-South, Sanders gave the Rangers something to look forward to after hitting three straight three-pointers to close out the half, bringing Northwest back within a four-point deficit at the break, 47-43.
Though the game remained close over the first eight minutes of the second half, things quickly got out of hand for Northwest, as the Greyhounds went to work in the paint. Trailing by five with 11:56 left in the contest, the Rangers watched as ASU Mid-South boosted its lead back to double digits as Christian Thompson made basket after basket, pushing the Greyhounds to a 13-point advantage with 9:42 to go.
Although the Rangers would briefly pull back within nine after a couple made free throws, ASU Mid-South would jump back ahead by 11 with 8:22 left to go, remaining with a double-figure advantage throughout the rest of the contest. The Greyhounds' largest lead came with 5:24 left to go, as Jesse Washington's fastbreak layup made it a 19-point margin, 85-66.
Northwest shot 48 percent from the floor in the first half, but just 32 percent in the second half, plummeting the Rangers' shooting percentage to 40 percent for the evening. The Rangers were also 5-of-12 from three-point range in the first half (42%), but that total fell to 15 percent for the second half. By comparison, the Greyhounds shot 67 percent for the first half and finished the game with a 62 percent shooting average, including a 40 percent effort from beyond the arc.
However, the biggest difference in the game was decided in the paint. ASU Mid-South scored 58 points in the paint, compared to 30 for Northwest. On the flip side, the Rangers outscored the Greyhounds off the bench, 43-10, thanks to the efforts of Taylor (12 points) and Marquavous Jones (11).
Devin Moore led Northwest in total rebounds, earning eight on the evening, followed by five apiece from Joyner and Darren Davis. Joyner also collected two of the Rangers' three blocks on the evening.
Four players finished in double figures for ASU Mid-South, led by Anderson's 24-point effort, a performance that included 18 first half points. Additionally, Anderson also pulled down seven rebounds and collected seven assists.
Other notable scorers for the Greyhounds included Thompson, who notched a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Braxtyn McCuien's near double-double of 16 points and eight boards. T.J. Stewart also collected 13 points in the winning effort.
With the loss, Northwest finishes the season series 0-2 against the Greyhounds, which improved to 7-3 overall. The Rangers (2-6) will close out the 2022 portion of the schedule on Thursday, December 1 at SAU Tech for a 6 P.M. tipoff, returning to Howard Coliseum on Monday, January 9 against Holmes.
