Northwest Mississippi edges Northeast 99-95 in men’s basketball

Senatobia, Miss. — Northwest Mississippi Community College men’s basketball team earned its first win over Northeast Mississippi since 2020, defeating the Tigers 99-95 Saturday afternoon. The Rangers improved to 14-9 overall and 3-5 in conference play, while Northeast fell to 15-10 and 5-4.

Head coach John Redman praised his team for responding well after a tough few weeks. “I’m proud because our guys really responded well,” Redman said. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks and tonight we had a bunch of young guys step up.”

The game started with Northwest attacking inside, building an early 15-6 lead. The Rangers maintained at least a two-possession advantage for most of the first half. A late push extended the lead to as much as 15 points before the Tigers scored a buzzer-beater at halftime, cutting the score to 47-36.

The second half began with Northeast scoring the first 11 points, tying the game at 47 and then at 54. The Tigers took their first lead of the game at 57-56. Redman noted the momentum shift, saying, “They hit a three at halftime and that’s one of those tough momentum things, but the guys responded and stayed together.”

Throughout the middle portion of the second half, Northeast stayed ahead, but Northwest kept close. The Rangers tied the game at 79 with under 10 minutes remaining. A surge from Gutierrez and Duffy pushed Northwest ahead 90-81, but Northeast responded, closing the gap to 94-93 and then 96-95.

Clutch plays from Ladarius Brown, including several three-pointers and an and-one, helped seal the victory. Gutierrez led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 9-14 from the field and 6-8 from the free-throw line. Brown finished with 23 points and went 8-9 at the foul line. Duffy added a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds, along with a block.

The team shot 50 percent from the field, nearly 40 percent from three, and was 22-26 at the foul line. They also dominated on the boards, outrebounding Northeast 52-36, including 20 offensive rebounds. The win marks the Rangers’ first over Northeast since the 2020 conference tournament and their last home victory over the Tigers was in 2018.

Northwest resumes play Monday on the road against Southwest Mississippi Community College at 7:30 p.m., continuing a busy stretch of seven games in 15 days. More information is available at nwccrangers.com. Fans can follow the team on social media throughout the season.

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