Booneville, Miss. – The Northeast Mississippi Community College basketball programs are braced for one more stiff conference test during their final full week of action during the 2014 calendar year.
The Lady Tigers and Tigers travel to Mississippi Delta Community College on Monday, December 8 for their inaugural road tilts inside the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division.
Northeast then concluces its fall semester home schedule later in the week when Snead State (Ala.) Community College visits legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum for a rare Friday evening doubleheader.
The women's contest serves as the opener each night at 5:30 p.m. and is followed by the men's game approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the lid lifter.
Those that cannot attend the matchups can watch them live on NEMCCTV, which is the new broadcast home of all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, at 5:15 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com.
Fans can also keep up during the contests with live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
Brian Alexander knows that the key for his Lady Tigers to break into the win column in league play is forcing the Lady Trojans into miscues. Northeast claimed three straight victories to start the season by pressuring their opposition into 35-plus errors but failed to reach that mark in each of its four losses.
"I think the turnover battle is big and we have to make layups," said Alexander. "We've got to challenge our girls and we'll be ready to go."
The Lady Tigers (3-4) have been consistent at the charity stripe throughout the campaign and are currently seventh in the country with 19.7 made free throws per game and eighth in attempts at 29.9.
Daisha Williams currently leads the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with a 95.8 free throw percentage. The Columbus native tops Miami Dade (Fla.) College's Kenshadra Smith (93.8) and Nicole Dodd (91.3) of Vincennes (Ind.) University.
Fellow sophomore Aushiana Ivy joins Williams as the only double-digit scorers for Northeast. Ivy averages 11.6 points and also guides the Lady Tigers with six rebounds each outing.
Harper Newell is one of the top shooters in the entire Magnolia State. The Clinton native ranks ninth in the MACJC with a 55.8 field goal percentage and is one of six Northeast standouts that tally greater than eight points per matchup at 8.3.
Second-year head coach Cord Wright continues to see steady improvements in the Tigers every time they step onto the court. Northeast has scored 80 or more points in half of its contests this year and has won each of those performances.
"I'm not down about where we're headed," Wright said. "We're starting to learn how to win and get into games and grind. I'm proud of their ability to hang in there."
Al Azulphar has transformed himself into an elite weapon for the Tigers with his ability to score from the floor. The center from Norwalk, Conn., is among the top 30 nationally and tied for third in the state with a 66.7 field goal percentage.
Reigning MACJC All-State selection Dimario Jackson paces Northeast in multiple statistical categories. The Brusly (La.) High School graduate produces 27.9 minutes, 16.6 points, 2.1 assists and is a team-best 86.3 percent on his free shot efforts.
Mississippi Delta relies on its short-range jumpers and layups to create offense. The Lady Trojans shoot just 15.3 percent from beyond the arc, which is 175th out of 181 NJCAA Division I institutions.
Niya Head is the lone double-figure scorer for Mississippi Delta (2-6) with 12.4 points per matchup while Aqueshia Kimble grabs 7.6 boards each outing.
Oppositely, the Trojans (4-4) rely heavily on the three-point shot. Mississippi Delta had 24 long distance attempts in their last game versus Copiah-Lincoln Community College while Darius Dukes was 6 of 9 from that range with 26 points.
Snead State (4-6) dominates on the boards with a plus-19 rebound margin this season, which ranks 19th in the NJCAA. Talented freshman Jasmine Richardson leads the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) with 19.1 points per contest.
Chad Watkins generates a majority of the Parsons' offense with a team-high 16.8 shots on 15 field goal attempts each matchup. Sophomores Duke Thomas and Tee Lomax both register 7.2 rebounds for Snead State (2-6).
The Lady Trojans swept Northeast last season, but the Tigers earned a split with Mississippi Delta following a thrilling 90-89 overtime triumph in the City of Hospitality. It will be the first recorded meetings in this century between Northeast and the Parsons.