East Mississippi breezes to road sweep over Coahoma to conclude first half of division hoops slate on winning note
The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams concluded the first half of the MACJC North Division regular-season slate by coasting to a pair of double-digit road wins over Coahoma Community College Monday evening at the Pinnacle. The EMCC women won their fourth straight game with a 56-40 victory, while the Lions breezed to a 91-65 triumph in the nightcap.
CLARKSDALE – The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams concluded the first half of the MACJC North Division regular-season slate by coasting to a pair of double-digit road wins over Coahoma Community College Monday evening at the Pinnacle. The EMCC women won their fourth straight game with a 56-40 victory, while the Lions breezed to a 91-65 triumph in the nightcap.
Head coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions broke open a tight contest by scoring the last six points of the opening half to take a 26-17 halftime lead. Baskets by Kyra Gulledge and Jaylen Cox following the break increased EMCC's lead to double figures, and the Lady Lions would not be seriously challenged again the rest of the way.
EMCC's cushion ballooned to 21 points (50-29) late in the second stanza following five straight points from Savannah Kimmons. A sophomore post player from Horn Lake High School, Kimmons hit 4-of-5 shots in the second half en route to scoring a season-high 16 points. She finished the contest hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.
With their fourth straight division victory, the EMCC women improved to 10-6 overall and moved into a first-place tie with a 5-1 mark in MACJC North Division play. The Lady Lions' current four-game win streak marks their longest such string since compiling a pair of five-game winning streaks during their 15-10 campaign in 2010-11.
The same scenario played out in the men's nightcap, as the visiting EMCC Lions extended a four-point lead midway through the opening period by outscoring Coahoma, 22-8, down the first-half stretch to grab a 51-33 halftime advantage. Guards Avery Woodson (19 points) and Jacolby Mobley (12) combined for 31 first-half points for the EMCC men.
A 3-pointer by EMCC's Antonio Finley and a pair of Mobley free throws to open the second stanza increased the spread to 23 points. For the most part, the margin stayed at 20 points or better the rest of the evening topping out at a 29-point differential on a couple of occasions late in the contest.
Woodson led all scorers with 26 points - his sixth 20-point effort of the season - on the strength of five 3-pointers. The University of Memphis signee added a season-high 12 rebounds to register his second double-double of the campaign. Mobley followed with 16 points, while Finley and Justin Kinsey added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for head coach Mark White's EMCC Lions, who improved to 11-4 overall and 3-2 within the division.
The Coahoma women's team fell to 1-13 overall and 0-6 in division play, while the Tigers dropped to 5-11 overall and 3-3 within the division. On the men's side, EMCC's convincing 26-point victory snapped Coahoma's three-game win string.
The East Mississippi basketball teams begin the second half of the MACJC North Division regular-season slate by traveling to Goodman to meet Holmes Community College in a Thursday doubleheader. Tip-off times for Thursday's hoops twinbill are set for 6 and 8 p.m. at Frank Branch Coliseum on the Holmes campus.