DYERSBURG, TN – The Northwest Mississippi Community College men's basketball team (2-2) couldn't extend their winning streak to three games, falling to Dyersburg State Community College (4-1) 76-74 on a last-second shot after rallying back from down as much as 14 points in the second half.
The game opened with the Eagles using the free-throw line to pull ahead, doubling up the Rangers at 13-6 by the time the first media timeout arrived, and continued to take advantage of turnover issues from Northwest on the way to a 22-11 lead midway through the opening half.
Northwest was able to find their footing, led by a surge from Ladarrius Brown and Chancellor Terry to go on a 22-7 burst in the middle of the half to take a 33-29 lead.
It was short-lived as the Eagles rallied back to close the half on a run of their own, going back in front 46-39 at the horn.
In the second half, the Rangers saw the lead grow to a game-high 59-45 after the opening push, and it seemed like everything was going the way of the Eagles. But after a few free throws, Northwest saw their inside game take flight, with Isaiah Thomas and Demetrius Duffy going to work to lead a 12-0 run that cut the lead down to just one.
Northwest would eventually tie the game at 69 and again at 71 and 74, but the final possession went to Dyersburg, and they executed well on their final shot to break the hearts of the Rangers and leave the come-from-behind effort just shy of a win, falling 76-74.
Both Terry and Duffy finished with 16 points to lead the scoring, with Thomas and Brown adding 15 and 14, respectively. Duffy and Thomas both had six rebounds each on the way to 35 as a team, and Peyton Lindley added four assists coming off the bench to lead the way.
The team finished shooting over 80 percent from the foul line and went 24-of-56 from the field, but they struggled from three again, only making 27.8 percent of their chances from deep.
Northwest will be back in action on Friday evening at 7 p.m. when they host Southeast Arkansas College (1-3) at Howard Coliseum. The Sharks will be entering the game coming off an 80-61 loss to Coahoma Community College on Monday night.
The game will be streamed online at Ranger TV.
You can keep up with Northwest basketball and all athletics at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
