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December 4, 2009
LADY TIGERS BITE LADY BULLDOGS; TIGERS FALL IN OVERTIME
BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College women’s basketball team easily defeated the Lady Bulldogs of Holmes Community College in Goodman Thursday night picking up its third win of the season and first win in North Division play during the 2009 season while the Tigers lost a heartbreaker in overtime.
Northeast women’s coach Ricky Ford improved his overall record to 573-207 after the Lady Tigers (3-4,1-0) cruised past the Lady Bulldogs (0-7, 0-1) by forty points 72-32.
Sophomore guard Al’Lisha Hudson (Charleston) led the Lady Tigers with her third career double-double by dropping 15 points and 18 boards while sophomore guard Rumae Butler (Belmont) added 13 points after hitting 2-of-3 from downtown.
In the second half, Ford’s squad shot 46-percent from the floor, 55-percent from behind the arc, and an impressive 61-percent from the charity stripe knocking down 13-of-21 in the victory against Holmes at Frank B. Branch Coliseum.
In the nightcap, the Tigers (3-6, 0-1) were not as fortunate falling in overtime to the Bulldogs (4-6, 1-0) by three 57-54.
After eight lead changes in the first half, Northeast took a 27-25 advantage into the locker room at the break with both teams shooting 41-percent from the floor hitting on 10-of-24.
However, in the second half, Holmes hustled its way in front by utilizing the full court press and shooting 58-percent from the charity stripe -- nailing 14 of their 24 times at the line in the final 20 minutes -- while the Tigers only took four shots from the free throw line shooting 50 percent on 2-of-4.
Both teams continued to exchange leads throughout the second frame and the game remained in question with only seconds left in regulation.
Northeast trailed by two 50-48 when freshman forward Emmanuel Ezejiofo (Raymond) took the game into his own hands. Ezejiofo drove to the basket, put up a shot that rimmed out with under five seconds left but the 6-4 guard followed his own shot and he made sure the put back went through the hoop as the buzzer sounded…. sending the game into overtime with the score even at 50. Ezejiofo finished with six points and eight rebounds for the Tigers.
In the overtime session, Holmes was able to seal the victory after trapping sophomore point guard Grant Goolsby (Myrtle) in the left corner -- with 3.5 seconds left on the clock -- forcing Goolsby to shoot a three-pointer that was partially blocked by the Bulldog defenders. Goolsby finished with six points and four rebounds.
Northeast was then forced to foul sending Holmes to the free throw line where they closed the game out on the final score of 57-54.
Other top performers for Northeast included Tyrie Berry (Ripley) who cashed in on a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds along with Chris Gamble (New Albany) who added six scores and two boards.
Northeast will continue its Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division play when the Lady Tigers and Tigers host Mississippi Delta Community College on Monday, December 7 at Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men’s contest.
Monday’s North Division match-up will be broadcast on ESPN Radio on 96.3 “The Ticket” and via the Internet and can be heard by going to the Northeast athletic website http://www2.nemcc.edu/Athletics/INDEX_new.html and clicking on “Listen Live” text or by going to http://www.supertalk.fm/WWMR-supertalk-fm/5037867 and scrolling down the page to the Northeast Tiger Banner and clicking in the banner to get to the live broadcast.
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