SENATOBIA - Four Northwest players reached double figures and the Rangers outperformed Southwest Mississippi in nearly every category, as part of an 82-67 triumph against the Bears on Monday evening.
It was the second victory in two weeks against the Bears, after Northwest previously defeated SMCC 85-78 in the regular season home finale on February 14. The Rangers improved to 18-7 overall, while the Bears ended their season at 15-10.
Northwest hit the gas pedal from the opening tip and never let up, starting the contest with a 6-0 lead. Despite a subsequent 7-0 run from the Bears, Northwest recaptured the advantage on a jumper from
Cori Bell and led for the remainder of the game.
Northwest stretched its lead to 20-9 with less than 10 minutes to go in the first half and never allowed the Bears to come any closer than seven points over the rest of the half. The Rangers led by double figures for most of the final five minutes of the half and took a 14-point lead into halftime, 45-31.
Things started off strong for the Rangers in the second half, as a pair of baskets from
Isaiah Gaines and
Joseph Cooper pushed the lead to 18, However, the Bears would soon find their stride, closing the gap to six points, 53-47, with 12:50 to go.
Despite the newfound momentum from Southwest Mississippi, the Rangers remained one step ahead down the stretch and eventually pushed the lead back to double digits for the final three minutes of the contest.
Joseph Cooper led the Rangers with 18 points and six rebounds, followed by 17 from
Ethan Pickett. Bell finished with 11 points off the bench, before exiting the game with an injury at the end of the first half.
Additionally, Gaines scored 10 points with five rebounds, while
Zandon Haralson and
Quen Kyles combined for 15 rebounds.
Northwest shot 46 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range, while Southwest Mississippi finished 42 percent for the evening and 34 percent from beyond the arc. The Rangers also outscored the Bears in the paint (34-18), off the bench (33-23), second chance points (18-4) and in points off turnovers (19-11).
Northwest also gained the edge against SMCC in total rebounds, finishing 45-33, while also earning 10 steals.
Zae Blake led all scorers with 22 points for the Bears, while Jacquez Fountain finished with 12.
With the win, Northwest advances to face top-seed Pearl River in the next round of the NJCAA Region 23 Playoffs. The Wildcats routed 16th-seed Delgado on Monday, 93-57, setting up Tuesday's matchup between the two teams in Poplarville.
Tipoff between the Rangers and Pearl River is slated for 7:30 P.M. in Poplarville, with broadcast coverage available on PRCCmedia.com. The winner will advance to the Region 23 semifinals in Clinton on Friday, March 4.
