SENATOBIA - Not much went right for Northwest on Monday night, as the Rangers surrendered 51 second half points in a 93-68 loss to Holmes at Howard Coliseum.
Northwest trailed by 11 points at the break and just couldn't match the Bulldogs' energy in the second half, falling to 1-4 on the young season.Â
Holmes took a 4-1 lead early in the contest and never trailed the rest of the way. The Bulldogs' lead increased to six points midway through the first half and grew to double figures with 5:12 remaining, thanks to a layup from Cameron Wallace.
Though Northwest managed to cut the lead below double figures down the stretch in the first half, the Rangers would get no closer than nine points, as Holmes took a 42-31 advantage into halftime.
Back-to-back layups from Hobert Grayson opened the second half on a high note for Holmes, and Hobert would eventually deliver a jumper at the 17-minute mark that brought the Bulldogs' lead up to 20 points. Holmes kept the lead well into double figures for the entire second half, taking its largest lead of 28 points on a late Riyan Nelson dunk with 31 seconds left.
Northwest shot 40 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three-point range. The Rangers also went 20-for-27 from the free throw line, ending the game with a 74 percent mark from the charity stripe.
Holmes outscored Northwest 54-18 in the paint and 22-0 in fastbreak points. The Bulldogs also got a boost from the bench, as the reserves added 38 points. For the evening, Holmes shot 51 percent and 37 percent from three-point land.
Shavurdacour Nicholas and
Thomas Tangle led the Rangers with 14 points each, while
Jordan Ealey provided 10 points off the bench. Ealey also fell shy of a double-double, earning a team-best eight rebounds.
Six players finished in double digits for Holmes, led by three players with 15 points apiece. Grayson scored 15 points with eight boards to lead all scorers, while Tatum provided seven rebounds to go with his 15 points.
Jamar Jenkins also collected 15 points off the bench, followed by 14 from Wallace and 11 from Mikey Hawkins.
Northwest will seek to get back in the win column on Thursday evening, making the short trip to Coahoma for a non-conference battle between local rivals. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 P.M. from The Pinnacle in Clarksdale.
