SENATOBIA - For the second consecutive game, bench points were one of the keys to victory for Northwest, as the Lady Rangers earned a 67-53 win against East Mississippi on Thursday.
Sparked by 16 points from
Kae'la Mitchell and a near double-double from
Jacia Hayes, the Northwest reserves outscored the Lady Lions 27-0. Additionally, the Lady Rangers scored 28 fourth-quarter points, improving to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
Thanks to a quick three-pointer from
Zaria Glover and a pair of free throws by
Angela Middleton, Northwest led 5-0 in the early moments of the contest. The Lady Rangers led for the entirety of the first quarter, but East Mississippi trimmed a 13-6 deficit down to three by the end of the period.
Kylah Bell's three-pointer less than 10 seconds into the second quarter helped the Lady Lions tie the game at 13 apiece, but Northwest answered with a layup from Mercianna Sandifer and a made free throw by Hayes. EMCC responded by briefly taking a 17-16 advantage, only for the Lady Rangers to push the lead back to five at halftime.
East Mississippi opened the second half on an 8-2 run, snatching the lead back on a Nakeria Scales layup with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter. However, miscues by both teams led to a scoring drought that lasted nearly two and a half minutes, with Northwest eventually shaking off the rust. The Lady Rangers held EMCC scoreless over a four and a half minute span, all while taking a seven-point lead of their own.
A three-pointer from Bell helped the Lady Lions snap the skid with 1:02 left in the quarter, but Northwest was able to stretch the lead back to a 39-32 margin entering the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Mitchell opened the fourth on a strong note, nailing a three-pointer, which was followed by a layup from
Mariah Reed-Jones and a made free throw from
Marian Jenkins. That span helped Northwest push the lead to double figures, only for EMCC to bring the deficit back down to nine with a Kiara Howard three-pointer at the 7:24 mark.
Although the Lady Lions' outside shooting helped them stay within striking distance for a bit, Northwest ultimately hit cruise control over the final four minutes. Another three-pointer from Mitchell and a good jump shot from
Mikayla Abram gave the Lady Rangers a 14-point advantage, and a string of made free throws from Mitchell helped seal the victory down the stretch.
Northwest recovered from a 32 percent shooting average in the first half to close the evening with a 46 percent effort from the floor. That included a stellar 8-for-10 mark in the fourth quarter, which included four three pointers, while also shooting 8-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, East Mississippi shot 35 percent from the floor, but just 46 percent from the free throw line. The Lady Lions were also outscored 18-12 in the paint.
In addition to Mitchell's team-high 16 points, the sophomore guard also finished with six steals and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Hayes tallied nine points and eight rebounds, barely missing out on a double-double.
As for the Northwest starters, Reed-Jones provided 12 points and five assists, followed by 10 points and a pair of blocks from Abram. Middleton also chipped in eight points, including six off a pair of three-pointers.
Three East Mississippi players combined for 48 of the team's 53 points, led by 19 from Bell. Howard netted 17 points and five steals, while Scales provided 12 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
Northwest will now shift its focus to Monday, January 29 in a battle at Holmes. The two teams met in non-conference play earlier this season, where the Lady Rangers earned a 78-72 victory on November 13.
Currently, the Lady Bulldogs are 9-6 on the season, but are 0-2 in the conference as part of a three-game losing skid. Holmes will face Itawamba in a makeup game this Saturday before hosting the Lady Rangers.
Tipoff for Monday evening's contest is slated for 5:30 P.M. on
holmesccmedia.com.
