SENATOBIA - For the sixth time in her short Northwest career, freshman forward Marian Jenkins reached double figures in the Lady Rangers' 76-62 victory against East Mississippi on Thursday evening.

Jenkins, a native of Madison, set a new season-high of 17 points and also accounted for four of the Lady Rangers' eight blocks on the evening. Northwest improved to 5-4 on the season and 1-0 in MACCC competition, while the Lady Lions fell to 2-6 overall and an 0-1 start in conference play.

Neither offense got off to a solid start, but East Mississippi was able to gain the upper hand in the opening quarter. After playing nearly three minutes in a 6-6 deadlock, the Lady Lions went on a 7-0 run that ended with a Sadie Williams three-pointer, stretching the score to 13-6. The Lady Rangers responded twice to close the gap to four, but EMCC ended the period with a 17-11 advantage.

Taylor Caldwell opened the second quarter with a quick three-pointer, providing a spark for Northwest and trimming the deficit to three. However, for every Lady Ranger basket, East Mississippi seemed to always have a response, as the Lady Lions remained in front throughout the entire period.

Jenkins briefly pulled Northwest back within one after a layup with 3:04 left in the first half, but EMCC pulled back ahead by six on a pair of back-to-back layups. Rebekah Pilcher sank a pair of free throws with a minute left, helping the Lady Rangers within three at halftime, 28-25.

Although Williams started the second half by putting her team back in a five-point lead, turnovers and foul trouble began to mount for East Mississippi. Mitchell drained a three-pointer to bring Northwest back within a point and Jenkins fast break layup at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter helped the Lady Rangers take a narrow 31-30 advantage.

Nakeria Scales' layup at the 6:41 mark of the quarter and a successful free throw by Gabby Collier at the 4:40 mark were the final two leads EMCC would hold in the contest, as Northwest outscored the Lady Lions 25-12 over the span of the quarter. The frustrations began to plague East Mississippi and the Lady Rangers took advantage of each opportunity, including Zoe Essary's three-pointer that helped Northwest end the third period with a 50-40 lead.

Sophomore Claire Leak started the fourth with a bang, sinking a three-pointer that stretched the Lady Rangers' lead to 13 points. However, the Lady Lions promptly responded with a run of their own, slicing the deficit to 53-48 with just over eight minutes remaining.

Collier brought her team back within five after making another three-point shot with 7:06 remaining, but three points from Caldwell and a pair of free throws from Zaria Glover restored the 10-point advantage for Northwest.

Aside from a brief response from Kennedi Jiminson, East Mississippi trailed by double digits for the final 5:13 of regulation. In all, Glover and Jenkins combined for 10 of the Lady Rangers' final 15 points in that stretch, sealing the win on the home floor.

Northwest edged East Mississippi in total field goal percentage, with the Lady Rangers shooting 41 percent and the Lady Lions finishing at 40 percent. However, the biggest difference came in the turnover margin, as EMCC committed 29 turnovers to just 13 from Northwest.

Northwest also outscored EMCC in points off turnovers (34-11) and 37-4 in bench points. Glover led the charge off the bench, as the Las Vegas native tallied 11 points, six steals and four rebounds, while Caldwell also provided a season-high nine points.

Along with Jenkins' strong effort, freshman Kae'la Mitchell also put up 13 points, four assists and four rebounds. Leak and Alexus Lindsey added six points apiece.

Scales led East Mississippi with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Collier's 20 points also paced EMCC, while Williams fell just shy of a double-double at 11 points and nine rebounds. Additionally, Sukkima Suell chipped in nine points and 10 boards, also falling just short of a double-double.

Northwest will step out of conference play one final time this weekend, traveling to Dyersburg State (Tenn.) on Saturday, January 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 P.M. Read Full Article