SENATOBIA - A pair of made free throws from
Kae'la Mitchell and
Rebekah Pilcher with less than 15 seconds to go helped Northwest hold off a late rally from Arkansas State Mid-South on Thursday evening, as the Lady Rangers edged the Lady Greyhounds by a 68-66 final.
Northwest led by as many as 13 points with four minutes remaining, only for ASU Mid-South to embark on a 16-5 run down the stretch. The win helped snap the Lady Rangers' four-game losing skid, sending Northwest into Christmas Break with a 4-4 overall record.
ASU Mid-South started the contest off hot, leading 8-0 and holding Northwest scoreless until the nearly three and a half minutes into the first quarter, when Mitchell's jumper helped the Lady Rangers break the ice. Mitchell's basket helped kickstart a sudden spark for Northwest, as back-to-back three-pointers from
Claire Leak and
Zaria Glover helped the Lady Rangers jump ahead less than two minutes later, 9-8.
Northwest stretched its lead twice to four points, but the Lady Greyhounds eventually answered back for a 21-19 advantage at the end of the first. Eleven of ASU Mid-South's points in the first period came off turnovers.
Turnovers began to haunt both teams in the second quarter, especially Northwest, which turned the ball over 15 times in the first half. The Lady Rangers were also held to just five points over the span of the quarter and finished without a basket for the final 4:42 of the half, as ASU Mid-South added 11 points for a 32-24 halftime lead.
Despite the dismal end to the first half, the Lady Rangers came out of the locker room with more urgency. After the Lady Greyhounds stretched their advantage to 10 points early in the third quarter, Northwest went on a mini 7-0 run to cut the deficit down to three, 36-33. ASU Mid-South managed to stretch the lead back to six points a short time later, but the Lady Rangers ended the quarter with a 43-41 lead, regaining the advantage on a
Sequoia White layup with 12 seconds left.
Fans were treated to a wild ride over the final 10 minutes of the game, as a scoring slugfest ensued between both teams. A combined 50 points were scored over the span of the fourth quarter, with Northwest and ASU Mid-South earning 25 apiece. The Lady Greyhounds got things started with a tying layup and free throw from Ashley Hopkins, followed by a Kya Washington layup on the next possession, bringing a three-point lead back to the visitors.
However, the lead would be short-lived from the Lady Greyhounds, as a layup and free throw from Glover tied the game back at 48 apiece. With the score at 51-50 with 6:07 remaining, Northwest went on a 12-0 run over the next two minutes, building the Lady Rangers' lead to 63-50.
Almost immediately after the clock ticked under four minutes, the big rally began for the Lady Greyhounds. Turnovers and fouls once again began to haunt Northwest and ASU Mid-South took full advantage, closing the gap to 63-61 with 1:27 to go.
With the Lady Rangers in desperate need of a basket, Leak answered the call, hitting a three-pointer off an assist from Mitchell to push the lead back to 66-61 for Northwest, with 1:14 remaining. As crucial as that particular play was for Northwest, ASU Mid-South still responded almost immediately, as Aryah Hazley's layup and subsequent three-pointer tied the game back up at 66 with 20 seconds to go.
Northwest called a timeout to advance the ball down the court and Mitchell got an opportunity to give her team some breathing room after being fouled with 12 seconds on the clock. Although the first free throw fell short, the second one would go through, giving the Lady Rangers a one-point lead.
ASU Mid-South then called a timeout to also advance the ball down the court, but Hazley's layup attempt didn't connect and
Taylor Caldwell pulled down the rebound with six seconds left. After a quick foul from the Lady Greyhounds, Pilcher hit the second of her two free throws, helping Northwest inch the lead back to two points.
With one last shot from ASU Mid-South, the Lady Greyhounds hurled a tying buzzer-beater attempt from half-court, only for the ball to sail out of bounds as time expired, sealing the win for Northwest.
Northwest shot 41 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range, compared to 38 percent overall from ASU Mid-South. The Lady Greyhounds also went 3-for-11 from beyond the arc for a 27 percent average. Both teams performed well on the free throw line, with ASU Mid-South shooting 87 percent and Northwest finishing at 70 percent.
Northwest also scored 45 bench points, with Glover and Mitchell each finishing in double figures. Glover posted a career-best 19 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 shooting, while Mitchell earned 12 points to go with five assists. Additionally,
Manaca Keyes led the Lady Rangers in rebounds, pulling down nine boards to go with five points.
Three Lady Greyhounds scored in double digits, led by 23 points from Hazley. Quintasia Leatherwood added 14 points and Ashley Hopkins also provided 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Northwest will begin MACCC competition in the new year, taking on East Mississippi at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, January 5. Live coverage of the Lady Rangers' matchup against the Lady Lions can be seen on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) or Action News 5 Plus, available on any Roku or Apple TV device and locally on Channel 5.5.
