Booneville, Miss. - Northeast Mississippi Community College's basketball programs concluded the fall semester portion of their respective schedules with a huge sweep in front of their home fans.
The Lady Tigers never trailed during an 82-40 decision over Columbia State (Tenn.) Community College while Northeast's men erased a 16-point deficit to claim a 98-93 victory versus the Chargers on Monday, December 14 inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
The nightcap featured three lead changes and two instances in which the contest was tied in the initial five minutes. A Kendarius Smith three-pointer evened the score at 13-13 with 15:28 remaining before the break.
Columbia State used a quick 8-0 spurt to expand its lead to the largest of the evening. Treys by Adrian Hicks and Avery Patterson put the Chargers (9-4) ahead 40-24 with 8:16 showing on the clock.
The Tigers got their shortfall back below double digits three times in the last four minutes, including at 54-45 after a driving basket from Chase Carroll. But Columbia State entered the locker room with a 13-point advantage after a half that featured over 100 total points between the two squads.
The Chargers maintained their seemingly comfortable lead to nearly the midway mark of the period. Northeast began to make its move when Leroy Buchanan, who was held scoreless for over 26 minutes, notched his first field goal with 12:51 left in the matchup.
Buchanan's long distance make with just less than 10 minutes to play brought the Tigers back within one possession of Columbia State. A Tray Lawson layup that was assisted by Smith tied the game at 76-76 moments later.
A bucket by Buchanan gave the Tigers an advantage for the first time in almost 30 minutes. His pair of free throws with 4:28 to go gave Northeast a lead that it would not relinquish.
The Chargers kept things interesting in the latter stages after Artavius Love's shot from beyond the arc made the score 95-93 in favor of the Tigers. But Jack Nichols and Buchanan went three of four from the charity stripe in the final 15 seconds to clinch the win.
"It's obviously great going into the break with a win," said Northeast headman Cord Wright. "We grinded it out and found a way to win against a very good team so I'm proud of our guys."
Buchanan accumulated each of his 23 points after the intermission and added three dimes as well. It was the fifth 20-plus point performance of the campaign for the Madison Central High School graduate.
"We got off to a slow start, but we knew we wanted to get the win," Buchanan said. "We just got together and stepped up on defense. I'm glad we got it. We're feeling great."
Wesley Harris turned in his inaugural collegiate double-double with the Tigers. The Jackson native set new career-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 10 of 16 from the floor overall.
"That was a big confidence booster for everybody," said Harris. "I feel like my game is improving. I've been working so hard and I see the results. It feels really good."
Lawson was the top athlete off the bench for Northeast with 14 points. Nichols recorded double-figure numbers for the initial time this year and the sixth occasion in his career at 10 points.
The Tigers outshot their guests from the floor by an over 10 percent differential. Northeast was solid once again in the post with 42 points in the paint between the 12 players that appeared in the scoring column.
It is the best ledger before the Christmas hiatus for the Tigers (8-3) since the 2011-12 campaign. Northeast went 7-1 that season before classes were dismissed for the holidays.
The Lady Tigers were outstanding in all phases of the game in the opener. Northeast did not allow any Columbia State athlete to reach double digits and also outrebounded its opposition by an outstanding plus-28 margin.
"They got an opportunity to do some things that we've been working on and see how it really works," Lady Tigers head coach Brenda Mayes said. "It was a big win for all the members of the team."
Bridgejae Patterson and Shelby Wilbanks quickly tallied the first six points of the contest for Northeast. The Lady Tigers then expanded their advantage to 16-2 with a stretch of 10 unanswered points that included three baskets from Patterson.
Timaya Stewart's three-pointer coupled with a Kasey Sparks layup gave Northeast a 21-4 lead early in the second quarter. Another 10-0 streak that featured plenty of Patterson helped the Lady Tigers take a 34-17 advantage at halftime.
Northeast compiled its largest run of the matchup in the third at 22-0. Wilbanks had nine points in a row for the Lady Tigers while Anna Fryar, Natasha Jones and Tyler Shelley all contributed in that span.
Taylor Nash's bucket late in the third brought Northeast ahead 68-24 with one period to go. Sparks notched six points in the fourth to guide the Lady Tigers to their final total.
The Lady Chargers (4-9) were held to several season lows, including percentage of 26.2 on field goals and 16.7 at the free throw line. Columbia State was also only 19.2 percent from long distance.
Patterson had one of the best individual performances in recent memory for Northeast. She amassed incredible amounts of 20 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as well.
It was the fourth double-double of Patterson's sophomore year and the fifth of her tenure in the City of Hospitality. The Prattville, Ala., native also had two blocks and one assist.
"It takes a lot of work and effort to get that many rebounds," said Patterson. "You've got to be confident in what you're doing and go for what you want. I'm proud of myself."
Wilbanks completed her inaugural semester on the Booneville campus with another dazzling outing. She amassed a game-best 21 points and 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the campaign as well.
The Walnut product has scored in double figures during each of the Lady Tigers' 10 contests so far this season. She also accounted for career-highs of 10 true field goals and seven offensive boards.
Stewart also had 11 points and seven rebounds for Northeast (5-5). V'lenchia Farmer and Sparks barely missed the double-digit plateau with nine and eight points, respectively.
The 68 boards by the Lady Tigers was their most since posting 61 against these same Lady Chargers on November 11, 2013. Nearly half of those rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Northeast had 66 points in the paint and limited Columbia State to only four second chance points. The Lady Tigers also accrued 27 points off as many turnovers by the Lady Chargers.