Devonta Pollard's 18 points lift No. 11 EMCC Lions to 75-65 road win over Baton Rouge CC

BATON ROUGE, La. – Devonta Pollard's team-high 18 points paced a balanced East Mississippi Community College offensive attack Tuesday night, as the preseason 11th-ranked Lions moved to 3-0 on the season with a 75-65 road win over Baton Rouge Community College at BRCC's Bonne Sante Wellness Center.

During a first half that featured six lead changes and six ties, the visitors held a slim 35-33 advantage at the intermission.  Following one more lead change and another deadlock just after the break, the Lions scored seven unanswered points to move ahead 45-39 on a Pollard dunk assisted by former high school teammate Nick Giles.

After a pair of BRCC free throws from Denzel Flemings at the 15:30 mark, EMCC established further control of the contest by scoring 10 straight points, including five from Pollard, to extend its lead to 55-41.  With the margin staying at double figures for the most part the rest of the game, the closest the Bears were able to get would be eight points on three occasions over the final 12 minutes.     

Pollard, a former McDonald's All-American at Kemper County High School, also pulled down nine rebounds against BRCC.  Davon "Chuck" Ester registered a double-double with 10 points and a team-best 11 rebounds, while Avery Woodson also reached twin digits in the scoring column with 11 points for head coach Mark White's unbeaten EMCC Lions. 

The EMCC basketball teams will jointly play host to Wallace State-Hanceville in a home hoops doubleheader Thursday night on the Scooba campus.  A 5:30 p.m. women's game will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum. 

Coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions will bring a 3-2 record into Thursday's game after dropping a 72-48 home decision to preseason ninth-ranked Shelton State this past Monday in Scooba.