Booneville, Miss. - Once their first shots fell into the hoop, Northeast Mississippi Community College freshmen Conner McKay and Darius Williams made themselves comfortable in their new home.
McKay and Williams combined for 36 points during a 95-48 victory over Fort Benning (Ga.) Military Base on Monday, November 7 in their first-ever game with the Tigers inside legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
Williams missed his first attempt from the floor upon entering the contest less than five minutes into the action. But he began a critical 13-0 run by Northeast only three minutes later.
Kendarius Smith followed Williams' first make with a three-pointer that was assisted by Leroy Buchanan. Marcus Summerville then knotted the matchup at 12-12 with his inaugural collegiate field goal.
Williams gave the Tigers (1-0) the lead for good at the 10:50 mark of the opening half with two consecutive buckets. He finished with a game-high 19 points in only 17 minutes of action.
"I just went out there and played aggressive," said Williams. "My teammates picked me up. It feels good to be honest. We've been in the gym everyday since I got here so it's paying off."
McKay likewise missed three straight opportunities from long distance following his entrance into the game. However, he drained four of his final five opportunities from beyond the arc and eventually finished with 17 points.
"Shooters keep shooting and that's what I did," McKay said. "We were a little bit anxious in the start. We were all ready to get out here and get going. We all got going in the second half."
Northeast, which is receiving votes in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll and ranked No. 25 by the Sporting News magazine, increased their lead off of defense after holding the Patriots to zero field goals in the last seven minutes, 36 seconds of the first half.
The Tigers outscored Fort Benning 17-2 during that stretch. McKay and Williams each had treys while Buchanan capped the period with an old-fashioned three-point play to help extend Northeast's advantage to 35-18 at the break.
Northeast doubled the Patriots' point total after the intermission with a 60-30 margin. Nine different players scored during the stellar final half in which the Tigers shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 69.2 percent on three-pointers.
The largest run for Northeast in that period was 14-0 to conclude the contest. Brandon Lane and Summerville both had a pair of baskets in that closing sequence for the Tigers.
"I'm excited about the win," said Northeast head coach Cord Wright. "A couple of guys were amped up maybe too much, but we kinda expected that. I thought we settled in when we needed to and made our plays."
Buchanan was one rebound shy of recording the fifth double-double of his stellar career with the Tigers. The reigning Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State selection contributed 12 points and nine boards.
Smith completed the list of double-digit scorers for Northeast with 12 points. Summerville barely missed double figures with nine points while Shunn Buchanan had a solid stat line with seven points, nine assists and five rebounds.
The Tigers held Fort Benning (3-2) to a 24.6 field goal percentage. Northeast had 22 assists compared to just four for the Patriots and also had a 57-14 edge in bench points plus 34 points off turnovers.
Northeast returns to action on Monday, November 14 by welcoming Bethel (Tenn.) University's junior varsity squad. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the City of Hospitality.