SENATOBIA – The Northwest Mississippi Community College men's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory at home, improving to 3-2 on the year thanks to a 90-85 win over Southeast Arkansas College (1-4) on Friday night at Howard Coliseum.
The Rangers were paced by another big night from leading scorer Chancellor Terry, who finished with 27 points while adding in six assists and five steals. The free-throw line was key for his success, going 13-of-17 from the foul line, and he said that was a big key for him this offseason.
"I put my hardest work this summer into that," he said. "I realized that last year, I really didn't like my percentages, so I really put my head down and focused on that."
He was helped along by big nights from Isaiah Thomas and Demetrius Duffy, who both finished with double-doubles by the end of the game.
It was a bit of a back-and-forth at the start of the game as both sides held leads in the first five minutes, with Northwest going ahead 7-2 after baskets on their first three possessions, and the Sharks going ahead 15-11 after a burst of their own was led by a red-hot Dwight Magee from deep.
The Rangers were able to go back in front thanks to a 12-2 run to retake the lead at 23-17.
Southeast Arkansas didn't back away, turning to a full-court press to fight back into the game after forcing the Rangers into multiple turnovers, eventually taking the lead going into the final media timeout on a 12-5 run that gave them a 40-39 edge.
It was short-lived as Northwest closed the first half out on a 9-0 run for a 49-40 lead going into the locker room.
"We brought a high intensity to the game," Terry said. "We were focused on us and played our pace of game. Before that, we were playing their game, and that's why they got back so close, but when we play our basketball, we are a really good team."
That run continued out of the gate in the second half, with the Rangers using early work at the foul line and some consistent play inside to build their advantage to a game-high 14 points, leading 65-51 in what was a physical opening of the second half, getting to the foul line regularly as both teams found themselves in the bonus before the second media timeout.
Northwest seemed to be running away with it, but for a second time, the Sharks found a way to chase down the Rangers with another slew of steals and turnovers costing the Rangers an 11-0 run from the visitors on the way to the gap being closed to 65-62.
That would be the closest the Sharks would get. The Rangers began to work the ball inside through Duffy and Thomas, while continuing to get a steady contribution from the foul line, rebuilding the lead to double figures, going ahead 81-71 and eventually closing out the game with a 90-85 win for their third win of the season and first at home.
Along with the 27-point effort from Terry, Northwest got another 18 points and 11 rebounds from Thomas for his first career double-double.
"He's a phenomenal athlete, and a great kid," Terry said. "I'm glad he's my teammate. He's going to keep getting better and be a really great DI prospect."
There was also a big night from Duffy, who added a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double for his second of the year. Haven Terry also joined the group in double figures with 12 points.
As a team, the Rangers saw every player who got on the court get in the scoring column, shooting 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the three-point line. They also went 71 percent from the foul line on 20-of-28 shooting.
The hot shooting percentages were aided by 15 assists as a team, and they had nine steals to help get the offense going in the fast break.
Northwest will be back in action quickly on Monday night when they face off against Hinds Community College (4-2), who enter the game after a narrow 79-74 loss to Copiah-Lincoln Community College (4-0) in their last action.
Terry said it was important to get this win going into an important non-conference game with the Bulldogs.
"It was good for us to come in and get a good win, get a good start for Monday, and get some momentum going into Hinds and get back on the winning track," he said.
Keep up with the full schedule and updates from the Northwest men's basketball team at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
