| No. 19 EMCC Lions earn 68-64 OT win over Meridian; EMCC women fall 75-57 to Lady Eagles |
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SCOOBA – It took an extra session, but the 19th-ranked East Mississippi Community College men’s basketball team extended its current winning streak to 14 consecutive games with a 68-64 overtime home triumph over Meridian Community College Monday night at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum. In the opener, the visiting Meridian Lady Eagles posted a 75-57 victory over the EMCC Lady Lions.
Owners of the third-longest current win string in the NJCAA Division I men’s basketball ranks, head coach Mark White’s EMCC Lions never trailed during the overtime session. Sophomore playmaker D.J. Evans got things started in the extra period for the home team with a three-point play. The former Brandon High School standout also converted five free throws during overtime to score 17 of his game-high 26 points after intermission. Trailing 31-28 at the halftime break, the Lions outscored Meridian 10-2 following intermission to move ahead 40-36 five minutes into the second stanza. The Eagles reclaimed the advantage midway through the half and owned a 48-44 lead at the 7:47 mark. The two rivals deadlocked four more times over the final seven minutes of regulation, though EMCC held a 56-52 lead with a minute left after Deon Bedford’s pair of free throws. Meridian cut the margin in half with just under 40 seconds left in regulation on two charity tosses by Tajh Ford. With 20 ticks remaining, Evans was trapped in the backcourt resulting in a break-away dunk by MCC’s TJ Jones to knot the score at 56-all. The home-standing Lions had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Bedford’s forced baseline jumper with time running down did not connect. Improving to 17-2 overall on the year, including a regular-season men’s sweep of Meridian for the third straight year, the EMCC Lions also received 22 points from sophomore forward Colin Borchert. The Phoenix, Ariz., native added a team-high nine rebounds along with two blocks and two steals on the night. Falling to 8-15 on the year, the Meridian men had four players score in double figures, led by Ford and Jones with 14 points apiece. In the women’s contest, the Lady Eagles of Meridian outscored EMCC 22-8 over the final 12 minutes of the opening half to open up a 35-20 halftime advantage. The Lady Lions went nearly seven minutes without scoring to dig themselves an insurmountable hole. Meridian’s cushion continued to balloon following the halftime break, as the Lady Eagles went up by as many as 27 points (65-38) before settling for the 18-point final outcome. Now 6-14 on the season, head coach Sharon Thompson’s EMCC Lady Lions were led by sophomore guards Alvida Clemons and Chadisty Hickman with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The visiting MCC Lady Eagles, now 13-10 on the year, were paced by ReRe Stinner and Gelese Lampton with 12 and 11 points, respectively. The East Mississippi basketball teams continue their current three-game home stand and resume MACJC North Division action by playing host to Mississippi Delta Community College Thursday evening on the Scooba campus. With the 9-0 EMCC Lions having already clinched their third consecutive regular-season division title, Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. men’s game will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. women’s contest at EMCC’s Currie Coliseum. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 13 February 2012 ) |
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