MERIDIAN - Trailing 49-37 at the end of the third quarter in Thursday evening's road tilt at Meridian, Northwest rallied back with an 18-9 run over the final 10 minutes, but still dropped a 58-55 loss.

Reigning MACCC Player of the Week Alorian Story had yet another double-double, earning 15 points and 16 rebounds, as the Lady Rangers dropped to 9-13 on the season and 5-7 in conference play. Despite the loss, Northwest inched up a spot to eighth in the conference standings, while the Lady Eagles (14-12, 6-5 MACCC) jumped to seventh.

Meridian led for most of the evening, taking a 12-8 advantage midway through the opening quarter. Northwest entered the second period in a six-point deficit, but fought to hang around within single digits throughout the evening, trailing 31-25 at halftime.

After the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Rangers 18-12 in the third quarter, Meridian finally took a double-digit lead entering the fourth period. However, Northwest would storm back with a 9-1 run, closing the gap to 50-46 with five minutes left in regulation.

Though the Lady Rangers continued to battle down the stretch, Northwest was just unable to gain control, as Meridian held on for the close win.

Both teams finished near even in field goal and three-point shooting percentages, but the Lady Eagles finished 11-for-19 (58%) from the free throw line, compared to just 7-of-16 and 44 percent from the Lady Rangers.

Sophomore and recent Jackson State commit Mariah Reed-Jones led Northwest with 17 points, while freshman guard Layla Hampton added nine points and six rebounds. Ahmari Lockhart also came off the bench to add nine rebounds.

Meridian was led by 15 points from Annearrea Ducksworth and Terica Smith finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds. Raven Jones also contributed eight points for the Lady Eagles, while Eboni Alford netted a team-high 10 rebounds with seven points.

Northwest will have another chance to inch up in the MACCC standings with the regular season home finale against Mississippi Gulf Coast. The game, which is also Sophomore Night, is set for Monday, February 24 at 5:30 P.M.

MGCCC (13-10, 7-4 MACCC) is currently sixth in the conference standings after a bye date. The Lady Bulldogs' most recent game was a 76-41 victory against Meridian last Monday evening.

In the all-time series against Mississippi Gulf Coast, Northwest holds a 16-6 advantage. The last meeting between the two teams came in last year's regular season finale, when the Lady Bulldogs took a 75-50 win in Perkinston.

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