WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. - There was no shortage of scoring for Northwest in this weekend's Arkansas State Mid-South Classic, as the Lady Rangers earned an 84-62 win against the host Lady Greyhounds on Friday evening, followed by a 64-36 beatdown of National Park College on Saturday afternoon.
In both contests, the Lady Rangers were carried by solid second half efforts, improving to 4-0 on the season. Northwest posted 35 points in the fourth quarter of Friday's win against ASU Mid-South, while also outscoring National Park 33-17 over the span of the second half.
Northwest jumped out to a big lead against ASU Mid-South on Friday, earning a 24-9 advantage by the end of the opening quarter. The Lady Rangers still led throughout the second quarter, despite the Lady Greyhounds' 15-point effort before halftime.
Leading 39-24 entering the second half, Northwest weathered a bit of a comeback from ASU Mid-South, preserving a 49-38 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation. From there, the Lady Rangers pulled away with a 35-24 margin over the course of the fourth quarter. The 35 points were the most points scored in any quarter by Northwest during the
LaTaryl Williams era and the highest-scoring quarter for the Lady Rangers since November 2, 2015 (38 pts. vs. Jones County; W, 118-112 in double overtime).
Mariah Reed-Jones led all scorers with 19 points and five rebounds, followed by 13 points from
Zaria Glover. Reed-Jones also had three assists and three steals to her credit, while
Angela Middleton posted a team-high five steals with five points.
Kae'la Mitchell and
Merciana Sandifer had 11 points apiece off the bench for the Lady Rangers, combining for seven rebounds.
Marian Jenkins fell just shy of a double-double, earning nine points and nine rebounds.Â
Jacia Hayes rounded out the notable stats for Northwest, earning a team-high 10 rebounds with four assists and a pair of blocks.
As a team, Northwest shot 41 percent from the floor and 19 percent from three-point range. The Lady Rangers were also 75 percent from the free-throw line, shooting a total of 36 free throws.
Meanwhile, Arkansas State Mid-South finished 32 percent from the floor and 61 percent from the charity stripe. London Robinson's 17 points led the Lady Greyhounds, followed by 11 points and eight boards by Esther Kwagala.
In Saturday's game with National Park, Northwest jumped out to a 17-7 advantage by the end of the opening quarter. The Lady Rangers held the lead throughout the second quarter, taking a 31-19 advantage into the locker room.
Northwest outscored the Lady Nighthawks 18-8 in the third quarter and continued to gain separation in the fourth, outscoring National Park by a 15-9 margin.
Once again, Glover and Reed-Jones finished as the leading scorers for the Lady Rangers, earning 11 and 12 points, respectively. The duo also combined for six steals, with four coming from Reed-Jones.
Hayes led Northwest in rebounding for the second consecutive game, collecting 10 boards with six points. Mitchell and
McKenzie Amos provided seven points apiece off the bench.
Northwest shot 39 percent from the floor and 27 percent from three-point range, but only finished 4-for-12 from the free throw line. Led by Kaylee Meredith's 14 points, National Park shot 19 percent and 22 percent from outside the arc.
Northwest will return to Howard Coliseum on Monday evening, hosting Holmes for a non-conference affair. The Lady Rangers and the Lady Bulldogs will tipoff at 5:30 P.M.
