SENATOBIA - A 26-11 breakaway fourth quarter helped Northwest pull away for a 72-50 victory against Dyersburg State, doing so in front of a packed home crowd for the Lady Rangers' season-opener on Thursday evening.

Northwest led for three quarters, eventually pulling away with a big offensive spurt over the final 10 minutes. The win helped coach LaTaryl Williams and the Lady Rangers improve to 2-0 on the season.

Dyersburg State led for most of the opening quarter and took its largest lead of 10-4 less than five minutes into the contest. However, a Manaca Keyes layup helped spark a 7-0 run that gave the Lady Rangers a slim 11-10 advantage. The Lady Eagles once again tried to run away for more breathing room late in the quarter, but a Sequoia White layup with less than a minute to go helped Northwest pull within two.

Though the Lady Eagles still led in the early stages of the second period, Lily Whitley's layup and a jumper from Marian Jenkins helped turn the tables for a 21-19 Northwest lead. The Lady Rangers never trailed again, even stretching the lead to seven late in the first half to finish with a 32-28 halftime advantage.

Dyersburg State kept the deficit under 10 throughout the entirety of the third period, but a pair of three-pointers from Taylor Caldwell and Claire Leak twice bolstered the Lady Rangers' lead to eight. Later, back-to-back jump shots from Alexus Lindsey early in the fourth gave Northwest its first double-digit lead, 50-39.

With 55 seconds to go, Leak hit another three-pointer to help Northwest to its first 20-point lead and Kae'la Mitchell followed with a steal and a fastbreak layup to end the game with a 22-point victory.

Mitchell's 16 points off the bench led Northwest and all scorers, while Jenkins recorded her second night in double figures with 10 points. White came the closest to earning a double-double, finishing with six points and a team-best eight rebounds. 

Northwest shot 42 percent on the evening, most notably going 12-for-19 with a 63 percent total in the fourth. The Lady Rangers also finished ahead 46-39 in total rebounds.

For Dyersburg State, Adriana Skinner and Sydney Neale combined for 21 points, with Maddison Wright totaling eight points and eight rebounds. The Lady Eagles shot 31 percent from the floor, but were overshadowed by a dismal 3-of-23 from the three-point arc (13 percent).

Next up for Northwest will be Monday evening's home contest against Blue Mountain JV. 

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