Northwest falls to No. 20 Mineral Area in season opener

Northwest Mississippi Community College opened its men’s basketball season with an 85-73 loss to No. 20 Mineral Area College on Friday in the Midwest Bank Classic in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Mineral Area pulled away after Northwest cut the Cardinals’ lead to 13-9. The Cardinals stretched the margin to 22-9, then closed the first half with an 8-2 run to take a 45-27 lead into halftime.

The Rangers’ deficit reached 25 points early in the second half before their offense rallied. Northwest cut the lead to 68-57 with five minutes remaining, but a timeout slowed the run. Mineral Area rebuilt its advantage and secured the win by converting 23 of 34 free throws, missing only two in the closing stretch.

Chance Terry led Northwest with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He added six rebounds and four steals, and made 7 of 10 free throws. Demetrius Duffy scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Isaiah Thomas had 11 points in his first collegiate game. Ladarrius Brown added 10 points off the bench, and George Zanardze scored eight on 4-of-5 shooting.

Northwest shot 31.8% from the field, including 4-for-31 from 3-point range, and was outrebounded 45-36. The Rangers recorded five assists. Coach Justin Mann said the team played hard despite its slow start, noting it shot 5-for-30 in the first half.

Northwest was scheduled to face tournament host Three Rivers College on Saturday at 7 p.m. Three Rivers also lost its opening game, according to Northwest’s announcement.

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