| No. 22 EMCC men coast to 90-69 home win over Meridian; Lady Lions edged 62-61 by MCC |
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 The EMCC basketball teams will continue their current week-long homestand by playing host to MACJC North Division foes Mississippi Delta and Itawamba on Monday (Jan. 17) and Thursday (Jan. 20), respectively. Tip-off times for both days are set for 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus. Head coach Mark White’s 11-2 EMCC Lions scored the first 11 points of the second stanza to increase a five-point halftime lead to 16 points (52-36) before the visiting Eagles could get on the scoreboard following intermission. Emmanuel Donald’s 1-of-2 free throws four minutes into the half broke the Meridian drought to begin the closing period. East Mississippi maintained its double-digit margin for the remainder of the contest despite a 9-2 Meridian run midway through the second half cutting the deficit to 61-51. On the way to scoring a game-high 21 points, EMCC sophomore guard Deonte Alexander (Nashville, Tenn.) drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to reclaim control of the contest for the home team. Sophomore forward Jonathan King (Panama City, Panama) collected his fifth double-double of the season, including a current string of three straight, with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Millaun Brown, a West Bolivar High School product, followed with a season-high 16 points, while Meridian’s Donovan Walker and former Brandon High School standout D.J. Evans added 10 points apiece for the winners. Falling to 10-6 on the year, Meridian was led by Donald and Travis Fredimon with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Thursday’s convincing 21-point victory over Meridian earned EMCC a second straight season sweep over the Eagles. Back on Nov. 11 in Meridian, the visiting Lions cruised to a 94-74 road triumph over MCC. In Thursday’s opener, head coach Sharon Thompson’s 6-6 Lady Lions benefitted from a 17-2 run at the end of the opening half to turn a seven-point deficit (30-23) into a 40-32 halftime lead. Capped by consecutive baskets from freshman guard Kiara Quinones-Noa, EMCC used a 9-4 run following intermission to build a 13-point advantage by the 15:25 mark of the second stanza. Following a Meridian timeout, the visitors went on an 18-4 spurt over the next eight minutes to take a brief 54-53 lead with 7:30 left in the contest. After the lead changed hands two more times, Meridian’s Bianca Powell answered Raven Howard’s basket to put the Lady Eagles on top 62-61 with 1:16 still left to play. After both teams missed scoring opportunities on consecutive trips down the court, EMCC called timeout with 15.4 seconds left. The Lady Lions drew up a play for their leading scorer, but freshman Chadisty Hickman’s leaning jumper was blocked by MCC’s Norianna Haynes. Having to resort to fouling down the stretch, EMCC’s RoTasha Windom sent Haynes to the line with 4.9 ticks on the game clock. The Lady Lions’ Kierra Jones grabbed the missed front end of the 1-and-1 opportunity, but Quinones-Noa fumbled the ball away trying to make a play as the final buzzer sounded. Hickman, a Kemper County product, paced all scorers with 18 points – 14 in the opening half – despite hitting only 6-of-20 shots from the field, including just 1-of-10 during her four-point second half. Sophomore guard Natalie Tate of Columbus followed with 15 points, while Howard added a dozen points for the short-handed EMCC women. Due to injuries, the Lady Lions were able to suit up only eight players for the game en route to dropping their third straight decision. Three of EMCC’s half-dozen setbacks on the year have been by a single point. Improving to 13-4 on the season, the MCC Lady Eagles were led by Chasity Kearney’s 17 points. Haynes followed with 15 points for the winners. The East Mississippi basketball teams continue their week-long hoops homestand next week by playing host to MACJC North Division foes Mississippi Delta and Itawamba on Monday (Jan. 17) and Thursday (Jan. 20), respectively. Tip-off times for both game dates next week will be 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at EMCC’s Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 14 January 2011 ) |
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