SENATOBIA - For the first time in coach LaTaryl Williams' three-year tenure, the Northwest Lady Rangers forced overtime in Thursday's non-conference finale against East Mississippi, but it was the Lady Lions that would come away with the 62-51 victory.

Thursday's game marked the first overtime game for Northwest since November 18, 2021, when the Lady Rangers picked up a 92-85 win at Mississippi Delta. It was also the program's first overtime contest at Howard Coliseum since a 73-69 victory against Coahoma on January 9, 2020.

Both teams struggled offensively throughout the contest, with Northwest finishing just 25 percent from the floor and 0-for-10 from three-point range. East Mississippi finished shooting 33 percent and just 22 percent from beyond the arc.

After Takera Bland and EMCC's Leah Wilcher traded baskets to open the contest, the Lady Rangers fell victim to a 12-4 run that helped the Lady Lions gain a 14-6 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

Freshman Alorian Story kicked off the second quarter with a layup, helping the Lady Rangers ignite a 12-2 run that lasted until the 3:40 mark. Dukiaha Jones made a basket to tie the game at 18-18, and the two teams traded blows over the final two minutes of the quarter. However, it was East Mississippi that would go in with the halftime lead, 24-23.

Neither team came out of the locker room with a good start in the second half, as the first points of the third quarter were not scored until the 7:50 mark, thanks to a pair of free throws from Jones. From there, the Lady Lions built their lead up to nine points with 2:04 left, only for Northwest to close the gap to 36-31 entering the fourth.

Things got off to a more promising start in the fourth quarter, as the Lady Rangers opened up on a 9-0 run, sparked by a pair of free throws from Bland. A layup from Bland at the 7:39 mark helped give Northwest its first lead since late in the second quarter, and the Lady Rangers would lead 40-36 with 6:39 remaining in regulation.

A trio of made baskets allowed East Mississippi to regain a narrow 42-40 lead with 4:14 remaining, and the Lady Lions twice led by three points down the stretch. However, Northwest picked up three made free throws from Story and Aaliyah Taylor, tying the game at 48-48 with 14 seconds left. 

Though East Mississippi called a timeout and advanced the ball to halfcourt, the Lady Rangers' defense prevented EMCC from getting off a good shot late. Jones' tried for a layup as time expired, but the basket was no good, sending the game to overtime.

Unfortunately, the extra time did little to help Northwest, as the Lady Rangers failed to score until the 1:27 mark of overtime. By then, the Lady Lions had built a nine-point lead and a three-point basket from Jones did all to seal the result with 57 seconds to go.

Northwest was outscored 14-3 in the overtime period and were outmatched 11-2 in bench points. East Mississippi also scored 30 points in the paint, compared to just 16 from the Lady Rangers.

Bland finished with 18 points and seven rebounds to lead Northwest, while Layla Hampton followed with 12 points. Story collected a team-best 12 rebounds and Taylor tallied a team-leading five steals.

Jones fell just shy of a double-double for EMCC, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. Je'Niecia Hill also posted 11 points and 11 rebounds to record a double-double, while Kennedi Wagner provided nine points on the evening.

With the loss, the Lady Rangers fell to 4-6 overall as East Mississippi improved to 5-7 on the season. Northwest will now turn its attention to the start of MACCC competition, as Copiah-Lincoln pays a vist to NWCC on Monday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 P.M.
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