SENATOBIA - A solid all-around shooting effort helped the Northwest Lady Rangers snap a four-game skid, thanks to Thursday evening's 67-57 victory against Baton Rouge.
Northwest shot 44 percent for the evening, including a strong 55 percent effort in the third quarter. The Lady Rangers were much-improved from beyond the arc, finishing with a 43 percent effort, while going 11-of-19 from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, Baton Rouge finished just 29 percent on the evening and relied heavily on 26 points from the bench.
Both teams went neck-and-neck throughout the opening quarter and ended the first period in a 15-15 tie. Northwest began to create some separation in the second quarter though, moving ahead by five with 4:03 remaining.
Neither team finished the first half shooting well, but the Lady Rangers went into the locker room with a 31-24 lead, holding Baton Rouge to just two points over the final four minutes of the second quarter.
Although the Lady Bears never trailed by much in the second half, Baton Rouge wasn't able to overcome the efforts of
Aaliyah Taylor, as the Marion, Ark. native drained a couple of momentum-changing three-pointers in the third quarter. Those baskets helped Northwest take a 51-42 advantage entering the fourth quarter, and the Lady Rangers remained ahead the rest of the way.
Three Northwest players reached double figures, with
Alorian Story leading all scorers. The freshman guard from Ripley ended with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, followed by 15 points apiece from Taylor and
Mariah Reed-Jones.
Additionally,
Takera Bland fell just short of a double-double, netting eight points and nine rebounds.
Shunqeisha Bobo also provided seven of the Lady Rangers' eight points off the bench.
Northwest came away with 50 rebounds in the win, including six from
Layla Hampton. The Memphis, Tenn. native also totaled a team-high six assists, followed by five from
Anaria Lee.
DeZarae Stewart led Baton Rouge with 15 points and four steals, while Shelcie LeBlanc finished with 13 points. Gabrielle Lathers came off the bench to lead the Lady Bears in total rebounds (11), while Stewart also added six of her own.
Northwest moved to 3-4 overall with the win, while Baton Rouge dropped to 3-2 on the season. Both of the Lady Bears' losses have come at the hands of the Lady Rangers.
Northwest closes out the semester with a pair of early December contests. The Lady Rangers begin with a trip to Mississippi Delta on Monday, December 2, before hosting Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, Dec. 5.
