WEST MEMPHIS, AR – After a slow start, the Northwest Mississippi Community College women's basketball team (2-4) took over in the second half on the way to a convincing 61-42 win over ASU Mid-South (1-5) on Saturday afternoon, picking up their second straight win along the way.
"I was pleased with what I saw as a team in general," Head Coach LaTaryl Williams said. "We saw some improvements in how we play back-to-back games after a good one on Friday night. We had a slow start today, but the girls adjusted to some mismatches on defense and picked it up and got us back on the right track."
The second-half rally was led by a dominant performance inside from freshman forward Morgan Thompson, who picked up her first career double-double with a team-high 17 points and 14 rebounds.
"She is going to bring it every night," Williams said. "What you see in the games, she brings it every day in practice. The tenacity on the boards, how she plays around the paint, she is definitely one of the players we are looking at being one of the most consistent players in our league this year."
It took some time to get the wheels in motion for Northwest after they didn't pick up their first points until the 5:13 mark of the opening quarter and found themselves down 12-5 after the first quarter came to a close.
The Greyhounds continued to stay hot from the field in the first few minutes of the second quarter, increasing the lead to a game-high 13 at 23-10, but after the media timeout, the Rangers started to find their own stroke, picking up a few three-pointers on back-to-back trips and closing the gap back to 27-20 going into the half.
The momentum gained didn't dissipate after the 15-minute break for halftime, and Northwest went on a 10-0 run right out of the gate to take their first lead of the game, going up 30-27 on a pair of driving layups from Zoe Metcalf and Thompson.
Two lead changes and three ties would follow on the way to the end of the quarter, with both teams wrestling for control going into the fourth quarter, and it was the Rangers who held the slight edge at the break, up 39-37.
The fourth quarter was a completely different story. After the Greyhounds opened by tying the game at 39, Northwest took over, going on a 22-0 run to seal the win, forcing multiple turnovers and keeping Mid-South from getting into any type of comfort.
"We felt like we had more depth than them, so we wanted to push the pace early and keep the pressure up," Williams said. "They followed the game plan, got some transition buckets, and got some steals. It was good to see that because that was part of the gameplan going in.
It all resulted in a 61-42 win that gave the Rangers their second in a row and helped them to sweep the weekend at the classic, doubling up with a win over National Park College the night before.
Thompson was a rock inside for the Rangers, but the freshman was helped along by big games from Metcalf and Laylah Johnson, who both finished with 11 points. Metcalf added eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block in one of her best all-around performances of her career.
"Zoe is one of those young ladies who is eager to learn," Williams said of his sophomore, who has taken over as the lead point guard this year after playing as more of a two-guard last season. "Coach Vaquela Pimpton has been doing a really good job in mentoring Zoe and helping her to see things from a different lens. She has been doing a great job filling in for that spot."
All but two Rangers who played in the game scored, and as a team they were able to rebound from the slow shooting in the first quarter, going 7-of-21 from three and making 18 of their 45 shots after the first quarter.
They were able to force 14 steals as a team and had 40 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards.
Northwest will go for a third win in a row on Monday at 5:30 p.m. when they host the Hinds Community College Bulldogs (3-2) at Howard Coliseum. Hinds has won their last three games, including a 53-52 win in their last action over Copiah-Lincoln Community College (1-4).
That game will be streamed on Ranger TV with the pregame beginning at 5:20 p.m. You can keep up with Northwest women's basketball at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
