SENATOBIA - Northwest was held to 30 percent shooting and just 16 percent from beyond the arc in Thursday's 98-58 loss to East Mississippi.

EMCC held the Rangers to their second-lowest point total of the season, as Northwest dropped to 4-10 overall and 0-2 in the MACCC. The Lions, meanwhile, improved to 8-10 on the season and 1-2 in the conference.

DeShun Dunn got the game started with a quick jumper, but the outside shooting strength of East Mississippi quickly began to show. Hunter McCutcheon responded with a three-pointer and made two more in a row, giving the Lions a 9-4 advantage at the 16-minute mark of the first half.

Despite pulling back within three off a good three-pointer from Ja'Quise Richmond, Northwest found itself down by nine at the midway point of the first half. The Lions quickly stretched the lead to double digits with a three from Johnny Taylor, Jr., and the Rangers fell behind 23-11.

Though Northwest did pull back within seven with 4:27 remaining, East Mississippi closed the first half on a 15-4 run, widening the gap to 18 points. The Lions capped off the run with a made three-pointer from Tremaine Dixon, Jr. with six seconds left, as the Rangers went into the locker room down 45-27.

East Mississippi started off the second half much like the first, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to move its lead to 24 points. The Lions led by double figures for the entire second half, pushing its advantage over 30 points at the 13:29 mark and above 40 points with nine minutes remaining.

Northwest was outscored 46-26 in bench points and 32-18 in the paint. EMCC also shot 52 percent from the floor and 43 percent from beyond the arc.

Keanu Patrick was the leading scorer for the Rangers, finishing with 11 points, while Dunn tallied 10 points. Darren Davis led the team with 10 rebounds, while Shavurdacour Nicholas led Northwest off the bench with nine points.

Five Lions scored in double figures, led by McCutcheon's 18 points. Taylor also provided 15 points for East Mississippi, while Dixon and Ashten Micheal scored 14 apiece.

Next up for Northwest is a road match at Holmes on Monday, January 29. The Bulldogs (12-5, 0-2 MACCC) and Rangers previously met in non-conference action earlier this season, when Holmes came away with a 93-68 victory on November 13.

Tipoff in Goodman is scheduled for 7:30 P.M., with live coverage on holmesccmedia.com.

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