EMCC women remain unbeaten in division play with 68-55 victory at Northeast
The EMCC women remained unbeaten in MACJC North Division play with a 68-55 road win over Northeast Mississippi Tuesday evening at Bonner Arnold Coliseum in Booneville.
BOONEVILLE – The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams recorded a key MACJC North Division road sweep over Northeast Mississippi Community College Tuesday evening at Bonner Arnold Coliseum. The EMCC women remained unbeaten in division play with a 68-55 win, while the Lions completed the sweep with a 77-70 victory in the nightcap.
To tip off the evening, double-double efforts by Quantesha Patterson and Tyeisha Juhan lifted the EMCC women to their third straight win to begin division play. The Lions capped the successful road twin bill by erasing an 11-point, second-half deficit against the reigning Region 23 men's champions.
After closing out the first quarter on an 8-0 run, EMCC maintained a 35-31 halftime lead in the women's contest and never trailed thereafter. The Lions then quickly pushed the margin to double digits by scoring the first six points of the second stanza.
The home-standing Lady Tigers cut into the deficit by pulling to within three points (44-41) late in the third quarter following consecutive baskets by Aundrea Adams. The visitors responded to push their lead back up to 10 points (57-47) midway through the final period. Northeast didn't get any closer than nine points the rest of the way, as the Lions cruised to the 13-point win and avenged last year's 94-91 double-overtime setback in Booneville.
Shooting 49 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line as a team for the game, EMCC was powered by Patterson's 21st career double-double and eighth of the season. The all-region performer out of East Webster High School tallied a game-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with a dozen rebounds.
Juhan, a freshman from Jonesboro, Georgia, posted her second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, while Brooklyn, New York product Kaisah Lucky contributed a season-high 14 points for head coach Sharon Thompson's 8-4, 3-0 Lions.
Dropping to 7-7 overall and 2-1 within the division, the Northeast women were led by LaKeiya Lane's 18 points. Adams and reigning MACJC Player of the Week Shelby Wilbanks added 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the Lady Tigers.
The East Mississippi basketball teams will host a pair of doubleheaders next week on the Scooba campus. After playing host to the Trojans of Mississippi Delta Community College on Monday, the Lions will welcome the Itawamba Indians for a Thursday twin bill. Both upcoming home hoops doubleheaders will tip off with a 5:30 p.m. women's game followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.