Senatobia, Miss. — The Northwest Mississippi Community College women’s basketball team opened MACCC play with a 61-59 win over East Mississippi on Monday night at Howard Coliseum. The Rangers improved to 10-5 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Northwest started strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first 90 seconds with fast-break layups and a three-pointer from Shiloh Hatch. The lead grew to 11-0 before the Lions scored their first points on a free throw with 4:25 remaining in the opening quarter. East Mississippi responded with a late run, fueled by Dukiaha Jones, who scored all 10 of her points in the quarter, but Northwest maintained a 19-10 advantage after the first period.
The second quarter saw the Rangers struggle offensively, relying on free throws to score. East Michigan capitalized on turnovers, trimming the deficit to 27-26 at halftime. The Lions took their first lead of the game early in the third quarter, but Northwest answered with inside plays from Alorian Story and Hatch. Story led the team with nine points and four rebounds in the quarter, helping the Rangers stay ahead 45-43 heading into the final period.
In the fourth, the teams exchanged leads, with ties at 45 and 47. Dekyra Mitchell hit a key three, giving Northwest a two-possession lead. East responded and, with just over a minute remaining, pulled within one at 57-56. Layla Hampton’s free throws pushed the lead back to three, but Jones tied the game at 59 with 36 seconds left. After a timeout, Story scored on a reverse lay-in for the game-winning points with 14 seconds remaining.
East Mississippi’s final attempts fell short, and the Rangers secured a 61-59 victory. Story finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, pushing her career total to 443. Mitchell added 19 points, and Hampton scored 10 with five assists and four steals. Despite shooting only 27.5%, Northwest forced 18 turnovers and shot nearly perfect from the free-throw line, making 19 of 22 attempts.
The team returns to action Thursday with a road game at Holmes Community College, where they previously defeated the Bulldogs 72-58 on Dec. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Fans can follow updates at nwccrangers.com or on the team’s social media channels.
