SENATOBIA - From the opening tip of Monday's home-opener against Bishop State, the Lady Wildcats dominated Northwest in a 76-59 loss for the Lady Rangers.
Northwest shot 36 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point range, but the biggest difference came at the free throw line, where Bishop State finished 16-of-21 (76%). In contrast, the Lady Rangers finished just 4-of-11 for a 36 percent average.
Northwest fell to 2-2 on the season following the loss, while the Lady Wildcats scored their first win of the season, improving to 1-4.
Bishop State opened the game with nine of its first 11 points coming from beyond the arc. The Lady Wildcats led 11-2, before Northwest fought back for a 13-8 deficit. However, the Lady Rangers were unable to gain any sort of advantage on the visiting team, with BSCC taking a 19-10 first quarter lead.
Though Northwest hung around with the Lady Wildcats, Bishop State found a way to stay one step ahead throughout the entire second quarter.
Liberty Hughes came off the bench to close the first half with a layup, but the Lady Rangers still trailed 39-29 at halftime.
Northwest came out on fire to open the second half, as
Aaliyah Taylor's three-pointer and a layup from
Mariah Reed-Jones cut the deficit to five early in the third quarter. However, Bishop State regrouped after a timeout and went on a 6-0 run to pull back ahead, 45-34.
Momentum continued to be on the side of the Lady Wildcats throughout the third quarter, as Bishop State outscored Northwest by a 25-16 margin. The Lady Rangers trailed 64-45 entering the fourth and trailed the rest of the way.
Northwest had three players score in double figures, led by 15 points from Reed-Jones.
Takera Bland and
Alorian Story tacked on 10 points apiece, with
Layla Hampton finishing with a team-high seven assists.
Erin Perry led Bishop State with 23 points off the bench, followed by 15 points from Janiya Labyzon and a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double from Takya Norman.
Next up for Northwest is a non-conference contest against Coahoma, scheduled for Thursday, November 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. at Howard Coliseum, with broadcast coverage on Ranger TV and Action News 5 Plus.
