Lions avenge earlier loss with 66-60 home win over Pearl River

SCOOBA – Avenging a 26-point road setback last month in Poplarville, the home-standing Lions of East Mississippi Community College claimed a well-earned 66-60 men's rematch victory over Pearl River during Thursday's MACCC basketball action played at Keyes. T. Currie Coliseum.

With only seven players available for action, EMCC's Lady Lions displayed a valiant effort for three quarters before succumbing to the 11^th-ranked PRCC women, 71-45.

The men's nightcap featured seven lead changes and seven ties during the opening 20 minutes of play. After EMCC's Johnny Taylor Jr. knotted the score at 30-30 with a made three-pointer at the 2:48 mark of the first half, the two teams traded lead changes prior to intermission. A basket and a pair of free throws by Ezereke Dawson Jr. put the visitors on top, 34-30, late in the half, before Andrew Mason answered with a two-point bucket and a trey to give the Lions a 35-34 halftime edge.

Nick Walker scored coming out of the break to lengthen EMCC's lead that would hold up for the remainder of the contest. Terrell Dixon's back-to-back dunks helped push the Lions' advantage to seven points (48-41) eight minutes into the second half.

After Cedquavious Hunter's triple trimmed the Wildcats' deficit to three points (50-47) midway through the half, the Lions responded with three straight baskets, including Mason's coast-to-coast crowd pleaser, that extended EMCC's margin to nine points (56-47).

Though Ta'Zir Smith helped keep PRCC in the game with three timely scores down the stretch, the Lions hit 7-of-8 clutch charity tosses over the game's final 48 seconds to seal the six-point victory and avenge their 89-63 road setback to the Wildcats back on Jan. 8.

Improving to 13-12 overall and 6-4 in conference play, the EMCC men were led by Mason's 16 points. Walker approached a double-double effort by finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Smith paced all game scorers in the nightcap with 25 points for the visiting Wildcats.

Despite being short-handed on the night, the EMCC women scored the game's first six points and held the lead for the majority of the opening quarter. The Lady Lions reclaimed a brief 21-20 lead by the 7:37 mark of the second quarter before PRCC took control of the contest.

Ignited by a pair of Alexis Arrington three-pointers and capped by consecutive baskets from Taylor Johnson-Matthews, Pearl River closed out the first half with 13 unanswered points to take a 33-21 advantage into the halftime break.

The Wildcats' cushion grew to 22 points (49-27) before EMCC managed to trim the margin to 14 points (53-39) on Kamaria Patrick's three-pointer late in the third quarter. After Hannah McDougle's three made free throws to start the fourth quarter shaved another point off the deficit, Pearl River then proceeded to outscore the Lady Lions, 16-3, the rest of the game en route to the decisive 26-point road win.

Having reached double figures in points and rebounds by the half, EMCC's Nakeria Scales recorded her ninth career double-double and seventh of the season by finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

PRCC's Arrington led all game scorers with 19 points, followed by Johnson-Matthews and Samya Brooks with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

East Mississippi's basketball teams are scheduled to continue conference competition this coming week by traveling to Coahoma on Monday (Feb. 26) before playing host to East Central on Thursday (Feb. 29). Thursday's home hoops twin-bill on the Scooba campus will consist of a 5:30 p.m. women's game followed by a 7:30 men's contest.