SENATOBIA - A fast-paced offensive attack from 12th-ranked Jones College limited the scoring for Northwest in the first half, as the visiting Lady Bobcats built a substantial lead and never looked back, defeating the Lady Rangers by a 96-51 final on Thursday night.

Northwest dropped to 6-6 overall with its second consecutive loss, falling to 1-2 in conference play. Jones College improved to 11-3 and 3-0 against MACCC competition.

Meloney Thames scored the Lady Bobcats' first basket less than a minute into the contest, kick-starting a 15-0 opening run. Freshman Rebekah Pilcher's jumper at the 6:04 mark helped break the scoring drought for Northwest, and the Pontotoc native hit another three-pointer later in the quarter, accounting for five of the Lady Rangers' six first quarter points.

Trailing 23-6 entering the second period, things became even more bleak for the Lady Rangers before halftime. Thames' three-pointer stretched the Lady Bobcats' lead to 20 points early in the quarter and the deficit grew to 37 points by halftime, as Jones College took a 52-15 lead into the locker room.

Pilcher and Kennidi Dean accounted for 10 of the Lady Rangers' 15 first half points, as Northwest ended the half shooting 17 percent from the floor. By comparison, Jones College shot 56 percent overall, including 40 percent from three-point range.

Things improved slightly for Northwest in the second half, as the Lady Rangers scored 24 points in the third quarter. The second half scoring surge began with back-to-back three-pointers from Claire Leak, while Dean made three straight layups later in the quarter.

Despite the added scoring from the Lady Rangers, Jones College also continued to make shots, widening the gap to 43 points late in the third quarter. The Lady Bobcats closed out the final quarter by holding Northwest to just 12 points, all coming from three-point range. Zoe Essary accounted for nine of those 12 points, while Sydney Brazil added a three-point basket as well.

Northwest shot 47 percent for the third quarter, but finished the evening shooting 28 percent from the floor. The Lady Rangers were also 31 percent from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Jones College shot 48 percent on the evening and 38 percent from three-point land, followed by an 82 percent output from the charity stripe.

Reserves accounted for 44 of the Lady Rangers' 51 points on the evening, led by 12 points from Dean and 10 from Essary to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Additionally, Northwest was outscored 50-16 in the paint and 36-5 in points off turnovers.

Four players reached double figures for Jones College, led by 16 points from En'Dya Buford and a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double from Sakyia White. Carly Keats also managed 14 points, mostly from three-point range, and Thames ended up with 10 points.

Northwest will return to action on Tuesday, January 17 at Mississippi Delta. The Lady Trojans (9-5, 1-2 MACCC) are coming off a 58-50 loss at Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 P.M. from J.T. Hall Coliseum in Moorhead. Broadcast details will be announced on gameday from Mississippi Delta. Read Full Article