SENATOBIA - Sophomores
DeShun Dunn and
Nolan Wells put up a pair of double-figure scoring efforts on Sophomore Night, but Northwest still fell by a 74-58 margin to Meridian on Thursday.
Northwest dropped to 8-17 on the season and 4-9 in the MACCC, as Meridian improved to 14-11 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
Meridian took a 3-0 lead out of the gate, only for Wells to respond with a three-pointer for Northwest. The Eagles pushed their lead to 7-3, but a three-pointer from
Jordan Ealey helped keep the Rangers in striking distance.
Shavurdacour Nicholas hit a three-pointer to give Northwest a 9-8 lead at the 13:14 mark of the half, and
Thomas Tangle hit a three-pointer in response, pushing the Rangers to a 12-10 advantage. However, Meridian also got hot from beyond the arc, as the Eagles eventually regained the lead, 17-13.
Northwest trailed by three with 4:35 remaining in the first half, but the Eagles went on a 16-2 run to close out the half, taking a 38-21 lead into the locker room.
Unfortunately, the big run late in the half from Meridian all but drained the Rangers' momentum, as the Eagles led by double figures for the entire second half. Meridian took its largest lead of the game (24 points) multiple times over the span of the second half, but Northwest was able to cut the deficit to 14 points late in the game.
Meridian shot 43 percent from the floor, compared to 38 percent from Northwest. The Rangers also shot 38 percent from beyond the arc and 67 percent from the charity stripe, while the Eagles finished 23 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.
Meridian took advantage of 15 points off turnovers and outscored the Rangers in the paint, 30-18.
Dunn scored 17 points to lead the Rangers, while adding five rebounds and five assists. Nicholas followed with 13 points off the bench, followed by 10 from Wells.
Devin Moore also led Northwest with six rebounds.
Three Meridian players finished in double figures, led by 18 points from Calexis Campbell. Ricky Hinton added 13 points for the Eagles, while Michael James accounted for 10 points off the bench.
Northwest will close out the regular season on Monday, March 4 at Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Bulldogs (17-8, 9-4 MACCC) have won each of their last three conference games, including an 80-69 victory at Meridian last Monday.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. in Perkinston.
