Northwest Mississippi women top Itawamba 56-52 in close conference battle

SEANATOBIA, Miss. — The Northwest Mississippi Community College women’s basketball team earned a 56-52 victory over Itawamba Community College at Howard Coliseum. The win improved the Rangers’ record to 12-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play, marking their best start in league competition under fourth-year head coach LaTaryl Williams.

Northwest struggled early but rallied behind sophomore forward Alorian Story, who posted her eighth straight double-double and her 13th of the season before halftime. Story finished with a career-high 26 points and 19 rebounds. She also tied her career-best with four steals. In the second quarter, Story scored 13 of the team’s 17 points, sparking the Rangers’ offense.

“We signed her because we knew we needed somebody to be very productive in the paint, on both ends of the court, and that’s what she’s been doing,” coach Williams said. “This is not a surprise to me, and I’m very proud of her because she came up with a big night when we needed it.”

Supporting Story were sophomore guards Dekyra Mitchell and Layla Hampton, who scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. The trio of Story, Mitchell, and Hampton combined for all of Northwest’s 14 points in the third quarter. With four minutes remaining, Itawamba closed the gap to one point after a crucial three-pointer, but the Rangers’ defense held firm. Northwest limited the Indians to 28.6% shooting and forced 14 turnovers, including nine steals.

With 20 seconds left and the score 53-52 in favor of Northwest, Mitchell made a key steal that allowed the team to get to the free-throw line. Despite shooting just 56.5% from the line, the Rangers sealed the game with three late free throws from Mitchell and Hampton. Northwest will look to build on this momentum when they face Coahoma on the road Thursday at 5:30 p.m., according to the team’s schedule.

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