ELLISVILLE - Although Northwest trailed 30-28 at halftime of Thursday's road conference contest at Jones College, the Lady Rangers nearly doubled their point total in the second half to earn a 79-69 victory.
Northwest put up 51 points in the second half, which included a 26-17 run in the third quarter, improving to 7-7 overall and 3-1 in the MACCC. Meanwhile, Jones College fell to 3-13 on the season and 0-4 in conference play.
Though the home team scored the first basket of the game, the Lady Rangers went on a 7-0 run, thanks to an
Aaliyah Taylor three-pointer and two buckets from
Alorian Story. However, the Lady Bobcats cut back into the early deficit and regained a three-point lead with two minutes left in the first quarter.
Northwest remained within striking distance throughout the second period, but Jones College held on to a slim lead until the 2:19 mark, when
Layla Hampton's layup tied the game at 24-24. The Lady Bobcats would tie the game again at 27 apiece with 39 seconds to go, and a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer from Larissa Hubbard sent the Lady Rangers into the locker room down by two.
Jones College once again spent most of the third quarter with a narrow lead, but a jumper from
Takera Bland helped spark a 9-1 run for Northwest, eventually giving the Lady Rangers a 45-42 advantage with 3:16 left in the quarter. The Lady Bobcats trimmed the deficit back to one just seconds later, but a string of made baskets by Bland,
Anaria Lee and a three-pointer from
Mariah Reed-Jones helped NWCC gain a nine-point lead.
Northwest started off the fourth period on a high note, pushing its lead to double figures. A pair of made free throws from Reed-Jones helped the Lady Rangers take their largest lead of 16 points with 5:54 remaining. Jones College was far from finished though, as the Lady Bobcats pulled back within five points with 36 seconds remaining.
However, Northwest would hang on for the 10-point win down the stretch, thanks to a series of free throws from Hampton and Story.
One factor that helped the Lady Rangers in the second half was overall shooting percentage, as Northwest went from a 31 percent average in the second quarter to a 53 percent margin in the fourth. Overall, NWCC finished the evening with a 42 percent shooting percentage, while finishing 76 percent from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, Jones College shot 35 percent from the floor, despite a 47 percent average in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bobcats also shot just 59 percent from the charity stripe.
Northwest was outmatched 23-16 in points off the bench, but both teams were dead even at 32 points apiece in the paint. The Lady Rangers also picked up 15 second chance points, compared to just eight from Jones College.
Three players finished in double figures for Northwest, led by 20 points and nine rebounds from Story. Bland totaled 15 points and six boards, followed by 13 points from Taylor.
Reed-Jones also contributed nine points for the Lady Rangers, falling just shy of a double-digit effort.
Hubbard's double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds led the Lady Bobcats, while Zharia Leflore accounted for 15 points. Anna Patterson provided eight points off the bench for Jones College.
Northwest returns home on Monday, January 27 for a 5:30 P.M. tipoff against Mississippi Delta. The Lady Trojans (13-1, 3-1 MACCC) are coming off a 46-39 victory against Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the Lady Rangers dropped a non-conference contest at MDCC earlier this season by a 68-60 decision.
Live coverage will be provided on Action News 5 Plus in the Memphis/Mid-South region, with online coverage also available through
Ranger TV.
