Southwest Mississippi Women’s Basketball suffered a 68-48 loss to the East Central Warriors on the road Friday night. The Lady Bears struggled to find their rhythm early, failing to score in the first three minutes of the game.
They finally broke into double digits in the first quarter, which ended with the Warriors leading 19-11. In the second quarter, Southwest kept the game competitive, trailing 33-28 at halftime.
A slow third quarter saw the Lady Bears score just five points, allowing East Central to extend its lead to 55-33. Despite efforts to mount a comeback, Southwest was unable to overcome the large deficit in the second half.
Gracie Miller led the team with 11 points, while Shanell Celestine and Kori Ware added nine and eight points, respectively. Coach Brent Harris called the effort disappointing and emphasized the need for self-evaluation to improve.
The Lady Bears, now 5-11 overall and 1-2 in conference play, return home Monday to face Mississippi Delta, aiming to even their conference record at 2-2.
