MOORHEAD - Northwest sophomores
Nolan Wells,
DeShun Dunn and
Jordan Ealey each achieved new career-high milestones for points in Monday's 85-69 victory at Mississippi Delta.
In all, five Rangers scored 10 or more points, with Wells leading the way at 19 points. Dunn nearly earned a double-double, finishing with 16 points and nine assists, while Ealey's 14 points and eight rebounds also fell just shy of a double-double.
Though the Trojans held a slim lead roughly four minutes into the game, Northwest began to hit its stride over the next five minutes, going on an 18-2 run to gain a 21-7 lead with 10:44 remaining in the first half.
Mississippi Delta countered with a run of its own to tie the game at 23-23, only for Ealey to hit a three-pointer and put the Rangers back on top. Later, Dunn would cap off the first half with a layup just before the buzzer, sending Northwest to the locker room with a 37-31 halftime lead.
Northwest slowly extended its lead throughout the second half, going up by 10 with 16:16 left. An alley-oop dunk from
Devin Moore made it a 16-point advantage for the Rangers just a few minutes later, and
Darren Davis' jumper with 9:08 remaining gave Northwest a 20-point advantage.
Down the stretch, the Rangers continued to stay well ahead of the Trojans, all but sealing the victory with five minutes left to go.
Northwest shot 49 percent on the evening and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Mississippi Delta shot 58 percent from the floor, and 50 percent from the free throw line and three-point range.
In addition to the strong efforts from Dunn, Ealey and Wells, the Rangers were further helped by a 15-point performance from Davis and a 13-point output by Moore.Â
Daivion Traylor paced the Trojans with a 21-point effort, followed by 14 from Latrell Vance.
With the win, Northwest improved its season record to 6-12 and 2-4 in the MACCC. Mississippi Delta fell to 8-11 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
Northwest will aim to make it three straight wins on Thursday, as the Rangers host Northeast for a 7:30 tipoff. Fans unable to attend can catch broadcast coverage on Ranger TV and Action News 5 Plus.
