SENATOBIA – It was a run through the second half as the Northwest Mississippi Community College men's basketball team earned their tenth win of the season thanks to their ninth 100-point game of the year, running to a 115-101 win over Lawson State Community College (8-6) on Monday night at Howard Coliseum.
"It feels great just being back here," sophomore LaMarcus Crawford said. "We started off slow in the first half, but we adjusted and picked up everything in the second half so it feels good that we came out on top."
While the final score wasn't tight, the game didn't start out that way. Both teams were locked within two possessions of each other until the Cougars were the first to find a small break to extend the lead to 29-24 with just under ten minutes to play in the first half.
The Northwest offense continued to battle though and kept the game close, only allowing the lead to grow to a game high of 48-38 with 1:30 to go in the first half and it seemed like Lawson State was about to go into the break in total control when Northwest responded with a 9-2 run triggered by Crawford to keep it a one possession game going into the second half only down 50-47.
That run continued into the second half as Northwest opened the half on a incredible 20-4 run thanks to a combination of great shooting from the Rangers, who would go on to score 68 points in the half, their second highest total of the season, and due to a rash of turnovers from the Cougars.
The fast break offense pushed the lead to 67-54 after just six minutes of play and by the time Lawson State was able to clean up the miscues, there was no way to slow down the well-oiled machine that the Rangers offense had become.
Northwest passed the century mark for the ninth time this season going up 102-83 with five minutes to play and they would seal their tenth win of the season 115-101.
Zahir Gutierrez was the top scorer for the Rangers, picking up 22 points in just 20 minutes of play, shooting 5-9 from deep and added a pair of assists.
Demetrius Duffy also finished with a 20-point game on his way to another double-double thanks to 15 rebounds. Crawford also finished with a double-double, picking up 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"Demetrius and I, we have to crash and get rebounds. It's mandatory for us and coach says if we don't do that and perform to get rebound then the team doesn't have that presence inside," Crawford said.
"I want to see someone averaging those types of numbers from both of those guys and doing it in under 25 minutes a game," Redman said. "Our guys and our effort is getting better and better as they buy in more and more."
Three other Rangers finished in double figures including 15 points from Dakota Morris, 14 points from Ladarrius Brown, and 10 from Chancellor Terry. Only one Ranger who played in the game didn't get into the scoring column.
Team numbers were also impressive for the Rangers who had a season best 59 rebounds in the game including 28 offensive boards and only gave up 12 offensive rebounds to the Cougars.
The Rangers don't have long to rest on the win as they are right back into action against Lawson State on Wednesday when they play the second of their two-pack with the Cougars in Birmingham, Alabama. Tipoff of the game is scheduled for 7:30 pm or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game prior.
"It's a quick turnaround, so we will watch some film, do a walk-through tomorrow and go from there," Redman said.
More information on the Northwest men's basketball team can be found at nwccrangers.com or you can follow along on Ranger social media accounts.
