Lattimore’s hot hand leads Lady Lions to decisive 93-67 home win over Delta

SCOOBA -- The division-leading EMCC Lady Lions claimed their 11^th consecutive win by coasting to a 93-67 home victory over Mississippi Delta during Thursday's MACJC North Division basketball action played at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.  In men's action, the Lions completed the sweep with a 77-66 win over the visiting Trojans in the nightcap.

Tipping off the second rotation of the MACJC North Division's regular-season basketball slate, the home-standing Lady Lions never trailed against Delta.  After jumping out to an 18-9 lead by the end of the opening quarter, EMCC maintained a double-digit margin throughout the remainder of the contest.

The Lady Lions built upon their 37-23 halftime advantage during the third quarter by reaching the 20-point margin (45-25) early in the second half on a Ja'Mia Hollings basket.  With three minutes left in the quarter, fellow West Point native Aamiya Rush's bucket at the rim made it a 31-point (64-33) contest.

En route to the decisive 26-point victory to improve to 16-2 overall (8-0 at home) and stay unbeaten (7-0) within the division, EMCC posted impressive shooting percentages for the contest.  Along with hitting 57 percent (35-of-61) of their field goal attempts, including 10-of-19 (53%) from beyond the three-point arc, the Lady Lions also converted 13-of-18 (72%) from the charity stripe.

EMCC's standout player on the evening was sophomore guard Taylor Lattimore, who poured in a season-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field along with 6-of-10 accuracy from behind the three-point line.  The Jackson State transfer out of Memphis' Arlington High School tallied 19 of her 28 points in the second half on sizzling 7-of-8 shooting.

Topazia Hawkins followed with 17 points off the bench for Coach Sharon Thompson's Lady Lions, while Hollings, the reigning MACJC Player of the Week, and sophomore guard Tye Metcalf added 12 and 11 points, respectively, to the winning effort.

Falling to 5-13 overall and 1-6 in the division, the Delta Lady Trojans were led by Antanisha Wade and Sabreya Lee with 17 and 15 points, respectively.  Ladedra Bryant was also in double figures with a dozen points for the visitors.

Looking to rebound from their 96-53 loss at Northeast Mississippi earlier in the week, the Lions scored the first three baskets of the men's game against Delta.  After the Trojans cut the deficit to a single point (21-20), EMCC scored 11 unanswered points to build a double-figure lead that would carry into the halftime break (36-26).

Following intermission, the Lions extended the margin to 17 points during the opening minutes of the second stanza.  As the visitors cut into the double-digit lead midway through the half, EMCC sophomore KJ Riley hit a timely 3-pointer and followed with a put-back basket a few minutes later to help restore a 12-point lead (59-47) with seven minutes remaining in the game.

From that point on, the Lions had to rely on productive trips to the charity stripe and continued solid defense to maintain their advantage the rest of the way.  In the midst of seeing the margin cut to five points (61-56) with four minutes left in the contest, EMCC benefitted from 18-of-19 free throw shooting over the game's final seven minutes to keep the Trojans at bay.  Other than Jakorie Smith's basket during a three-point play coming just under the one-minute mark, 18 of the Lions' last 20 points of the game came at the free throw line.

Led by Smith's sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Coach Billy Begley's EMCC Lions improved to 13-5 overall and 6-1 in division play.  Riley followed with a career-high 16 points (5-7 FGs & 5-7 FTs) coming off the bench, while Donte Powers and Traemond Pittman each added 11 points for the winners.

Dropping to 8-10 overall and 1-6 within the division, the MDCC Trojans were led by Darius Jackson's game-high 22 points.  Cartisco Brown was also in double figures for the visitors with a dozen points.

The East Mississippi basketball teams will travel to Goodman to take on the Bulldogs of Holmes Community College in an MACJC North Division Monday hoops doubleheader.  A 5:30 p.m. women's game will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at Holmes' Frank Branch Coliseum.