MCC Basketball Splits Set With Southwest

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles entered play Tuesday night looking to continue its great play inside the MACJC South Division as Southwest Mississippi came calling in a key early season showdown between the two schools. The Lady Eagles carried a 37-20 lead in the halftime break and were able to hold on for a huge 70-65 victory over the Lady Bears. The MCC women improved to 9-4 overall and 2-1 inside the very competitive MACJC South Division. The night for the Lady Eagles once again belonged to sophomore Miaya Crowder as the Georgia native scored a team-high 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the win for Meridian. Tytiana Hall also helped MCC once again off the bench by scoring 16 points, while LaShonda Cousin tallied 10 points for the Lady Eagles. Londyn Thomas also turned in another great defensive performance for MCC and led the team with seven assists.

Teshia Jones and Cortney Epting each led Southwest with 13 points apiece, while Madison Mault finished the game with 10 points for the Lady Bears. MCC finished the game by shooting 48 percent from the floor, while Southwest struggled from the floor by shooting 35 percent. MCC was also able to win the rebounding battle in the victory with 46 rebounds compared to 38 for the Lady Bears. The Southwest women dropped its overall record to 6-5 and 2-1 in South Division action. The MCC women will return to action Thursday night on the road in another key divisional game against Hinds Community College, while Southwest will host Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The MCC men couldn’t continue its momentum after its upset of East Mississippi last Thursday night and dropped a heartbreaker to Southwest by a final count of 53-49 to end the night of basketball at the Graham Gymnasium. The Eagles trailed 24-20 at the end of the first half and would never be able to take one lead in the second half to lose by the four-point margin. Devontae Brewster led the way in scoring for MCC with 15 points, while Brandon Daniels cracked double figures with 11 points. Lafayette Rutledge led Southwest in scoring with 11 points and Trent Jeffries scored 10 points off the bench in the victory for the Bears.

MCC dropped its overall record to 6-5 and 0-3 in division play, while Southwest improved to 5-6 and 2-1 in division action. The Eagles will hit the road Thursday in South Division play against Hinds, while Southwest will host Mississippi Gulf Coast.