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In their last home contest before the Christmas break, the Pearl River women’s basketball team defeated East Mississippi in a non-conference game, 71-42, inside Marvin R. White Coliseum. The Wildcats will end their fall with two games on the road at Columbia State and Gadsden State.

“We had too many turnovers tonight. We have to play better basketball as a whole, share the ball,” PRCC coach Scotty Fletcher said  “I want to see us handle this trip with a business-like mindset, a very mature approach to reach our team goals.”

FIRST QUARTER

After a slow start where both teams missed opportunities, Pearl River (7-0 overall) broke out on a 15-point run. Ty’Mesha Reed (Meridian) opened the scoring for the Wildcats with a short jumper. After being fouled on a drive with 5:21 left in the first, Reed hit both free throws to put PRCC up 4-0. Hama’ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) hit consecutive three-pointers to put Pearl River up 10-0. Keshunti Nichols (Pearl) got into the action with a three-pointer. Nichols followed the three by hitting two free throws after being fouled on a drive to the basket. East Mississippi scored at the end of the half to close the scoring to 15-2.

SECOND QUARTER

Both teams traded baskets to open the second quarter. J’Mani Ingram (North Augusta, S.C.) scored out of the break for the Wildcats on a short jumper. After East Miss followed with a basket of their own by Suell Sukkima. Neither team could sustain momentum in the second quarter as both teams went on a pair of four-point runs. Reed broke up East Miss’ run with a nice drive to the basket which put the Wildcats up, 23-10. The Lions countered Reed’s basket with another four-point run that closed the gap to 23-14. Nichols ended the Lions run on a putback off a missed free throw. A Wildcat press led to a Lions 10-second violation. On the ensuing play, Brandy Scott (Hammond, La.) made two free throws after she was fouled. Marcavia Shavers (Biloxi) closed out the scoring as the Wildcats entered halftime with a 29-15 lead.

Reed and Nichols paced the Wildcats in the first half with eight and seven points, respectively. Shavers added nine total rebounds in the half.

THIRD QUARTER

The Wildcats had a strong opening in the third quarter with a 7-0 run. Shavers scored first for PRCC followed by a steal and a score by Ingram. Alexis Arrington (Terry) added three points after she was fouled on a made basket and hit the free throw. Both teams traded runs through the middle of the third period with Ingram scoring the Wildcats next six points. The Lions closed out the third period on a five-point run to bring the score to 49-34.

FOURTH QUARTER
Both teams traded baskets on the first four possessions of the fourth quarter. Reed opened the scoring with a basket on the opening possession. After an East Mississippi score, Hallie Traylor (Tupelo) got in the scoring column with a three-pointer that extended the Wildcat lead to 54-36. PRCC was able to maintain their lead with a smothering second-half defense, Nichols led the way with four second-half blocks and the team added four steals. The Wildcats closed out the contest on an 8-0 run.

“We have a very talented roster, a talented team, a good bench,” Fletcher said. “When you win by 29-30 points, you know when you don’t have your best from some players, that shows you the quality depth we have.”

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The Wildcats had nine players in the scoring column. They were led by  Ingram with 18 points and nine rebounds.
“Statistics speaks volumes for me, the fact she shot fifty percent again from the floor tonight, had nine rebounds.” Fletcher added, “She is good enough to play Power Five basketball because you can’t keep her out of the lane.”

 Reed had another big night for the Wildcats. She had 16 points and four rebounds.
“She has been really locked in,” Fletcher said. “The last two games, Ty has been phenomenal.”

NEXT UP

The Wildcats will travel to Columbia State on Friday. Tipoff is 5:30 pm.

CASHLESS BOX OFFICE

To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices are cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.

TUNE IN

Pearl River livestreams all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the “Pearl River CC” channel from their app stores.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).