SENATOBIA - Although Northwest rallied from a 26-point deficit in the second half, the late momentum wasn't enough to turn the tables entirely on Meridian in Thursday evening's 66-56 loss.
Meridian led 52-26 with 4:09 remaining in the third quarter, only to be outscored 30-14 over the rest of the contest. The loss dropped the Lady Rangers to 6-14 on the season and 1-10 in the MACCC, while the Lady Eagles jumped to 19-3 overall and 8-2 in the conference.
Offense was a strong suit for both teams in the opening minutes, as the game reached a 10-10 draw midway through the first quarter. However, Meridian used a pair of baskets from Amberly Brown and a three-pointer from Shakira Wilson to go on a 7-0 run, creating some separation against Northwest.
Trailing 21-12 entering the second period, the gap slowly got wider for Northwest. Wilson opened the quarter with another three-point shot, giving the Lady Eagles the game's first double-digit lead. From there, Meridian remained ahead by double figures the rest of the way, leading by 14 at halftime.
Meridian pulled away with an 18-6 run to open the second half, creating the large deficit for Northwest midway through the third quarter. However, rather than folding, the Lady Rangers fought back with a quick 7-0 run to end the quarter, capped off by a three-pointer by
Taylor Caldwell.
Northwest trailed by 19 at the start of the fourth quarter, but continued to work the deficit down even more. When Meridian jumped back ahead by 24 points with 5:02 left, the Lady Rangers kept the opponents off the board for the rest of the game, all while knocking down a flurry of three-point shots.
Even with the comeback falling short, the Northwest run frustrated the Lady Eagles and further demonstrated the fight still left in the Lady Rangers toward the end of the regular season.
Northwest shot 31 percent from the floor and 34 percent from beyond the arc, including a 63 percent clip from three-point range during the fourth quarter. Meridian finished 37 percent shooting and 42 percent from three-point land.
Though 24 turnovers didn't help the Lady Rangers' cause, Northwest did outscore Meridian 18-12 in points off turnovers and the two teams finished near even in total rebounds and bench points.
Rebekah Pilcher led Northwest with 12 points, all coming from three-pointers. For the freshman from Pontotoc, it was only her second double-digit performance of her collegiate career and the first since her 15-point effort against National Park College back in November.
Kae'la Mitchell also reached double figures for the 10th time this season, recording 11 points and five rebounds.
Taylor Caldwell added nine points of her own off the bench, while
Marian Jenkins recorded a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks.
Brown and Wilson paced Meridian with 12 points apiece, with Brown also recording 10 rebounds and seven blocks. Lizzie Walker pulled down 11 boards to lead the Lady Eagles, while three other players scored nine points each.
Northwest will now turn its attention to a long road trip to Mississippi Gulf Coast on Monday, February 13, before taking a brief break from conference play. The Lady Bulldogs are currently 12-5 on the season and 7-3 in the MACCC.
