SENATOBIA - Free throw shooting proved to be an issue for Northwest in Monday evening's 80-75 loss to Arkansas State Mid-South.

Northwest finished 18-of-30 from the charity stripe, good for just 60 percent of the Rangers' free throws. In contrast, the Greyhounds finished 77 percent from the line, making 10 of their 13 attempts.

ASU Mid-South also hurt Northwest from three-point range, as the Greyhounds finished 43 percent from beyond the arc, compared to just 23 percent by the Rangers. 

Northwest opened the game with an early 8-3 lead, only to watch ASU Mid-South go on a 12-3 run over the next three minutes. The Greyhounds' run put the Rangers behind, 15-11, with 14:34 left in the first half.

Though Northwest tied the game back at 15 apiece, ASU Mid-South went on another 7-0 run, stretching its lead to 22-15 with 10:20 remaining in the half. The Rangers kept things close over the remaining course of the first half, but the Greyhounds went into halftime with a 41-31 advantage.

Several times over the course of the second half, Northwest was able to pull within eight or six points of ASU Mid-South, only for the visiting team to push the lead back above a 10-point margin. However, the Rangers would finally make a run over the final 3:18 of the second half, as Northwest turned a 10-point hole into a 7-2 run, closing the gap to 76-71 with 1:18 remaining.

Northwest cut the deficit to three with 25 seconds left, but after being forced to the free throw line, the Greyhounds put the game away down the stretch, avenging their loss to the Rangers earlier this month.

Five players reached double figures for Northwest, highlighted by Shavurdacour Nicholas' 22-point, eight-rebound effort. Colain Brown also tallied 16 points with three steals, followed by a 13-point performance from Keanu Patrick.

Patrick and Dorian Booker also came away with six rebounds apiece for the Rangers, with Booker adding 10 points of his own. Off the bench, Tyler Shepherd had a solid 12-point, five-rebound stat line.

Jaxson Yancy led ASU Mid-South with 16 points, followed by 14 from Santana Spivey. Hugh McFarland also added 13 points and eight assists for the Greyhounds, while Darren Wallace provided 13 points off the bench.

Davonta Tucker led ASU Mid-South in total rebounds, earning nine for the evening.

Now 1-4 on the season, the Rangers will aim to turn things around on Thursday, November 21, as Louisiana Knights Post Grad makes a trip up to Howard Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M., with live broadcast coverage on Ranger TV and Action News 5 Plus.  Read Full Article