Gallatin, Tenn. – Jack Nichols successfully moved out of his usual routine and into a new role for the Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball team on Monday evening.
Nichols, who normally stars at the guard position, recorded a double-double in the post for the Tigers during a 73-66 loss to Volunteer State (Tenn.) Community College at the Pickel Field House.
The Booneville native set new career-highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Nichols was 4 of 7 from the floor and made an outstanding 12 free throws as well for Northeast.
"I thought he played hard and tried to execute our game plan," said Tigers head coach Cord Wright. "He tries to play within what we're trying to do."
Nichols made four consecutive attempts at the charity stripe to give Northeast an early 14-12 advantage in what was a close start to the contest. The two squads combined for four lead changes and three ties in the initial 11 minutes, 30 seconds.
The Tigers pushed ahead by double-digits for the first time with a quick spurt of 10 unanswered points. Chase Carroll drained two three-pointers while Dimario Jackson had a pair of jumpers to put Northeast up 34-23 just before the intermission.
The Pioneers cut their deficit to 35-28 at the break, but two consecutive layups by Tyre Mallard brought the Tigers' advantage to 39-29 just over three minutes into the final period.
However, Volunteer State (1-6) scored 13 of the next 15 points to take its inaugural lead of the half at 42-41 following two free shots by Brandon Cody.
Big shots by Antonio Dodson and Nichols propelled Northeast back in front. Dodson's trey with 7:34 remaining on the clock gave the Tigers (2-3) a 51-49 advantage.
The Pioneers, though, held their guests without a field goal for the five-plus minutes. Volunteer State jumped ahead for good during that stretch using an Arthur Bennett lay in and Cody's make from beyond the arc.
Nichols had nine of Northeast's last 11 points over a span of 80 seconds, but Volunteer State went 8 of 12 from the free throw line in that same interval to secure the victory in the first recorded meeting on the hardwood between these two institutions.
"I played good and gave it everything I've got," Nichols said. "Any chance I got I really attacked the board and tried to grab everything that I could."
Carroll had another strong performance for the Tigers during his second start in a row. The Madison product had 14 points and connected on a team-best four attempts from long distance.
Northeast (2-3) sustained a plus-18 margin on the boards against the Pioneers. Mallard trailed Nichols with nine rebounds while Chris Ward tallied six.
Cody topped five double-figure scorers for Volunteer State with 15 while Jason Stone and Bennett accounted for 12 points apiece.
The Tigers are back at home on Thursday, November 20 to face West Kentucky Community and Technical College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
(W) Volunteer State 77, Northeast 66
Jasmine Allen proved that she could hang with one of the country's best three-point shooters in Nakia Daniel of the Lady Pioneers, who appeared at No. 24 in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll.
Booneville's Allen shattered her previous career-highs and notched 24 points with five successful treys. She also tied a personal best with 37 minutes on the court during her initial start of the campaign.
"It was feeling pretty sweet," said Allen. "I just got some extra shots up today in practice and I just did what I do best."
The combination of Ta'Keyha Flowers and Daniel scored Volunteer State's first 18 points before Victoria Dye's bucket gave their squad a 22-11 advantage midway through the opening quarter.
The Lady Tigers used a 12-0 run from that point to leap ahead of the Lady Pioneers. Alivia Hughes and Allen got the rally started with back-to-back baskets while Bridgejae Patterson and LaKeiya Lane had four points apiece in the same surge.
The lead shifted three times until Allen caught fire with two successive makes from long range that were both assisted by Dashiyah Agnew. Northeast held Volunteer State scoreless for nearly four minutes as well late in the half to take a 35-30 advantage into the locker room.
The Lady Pioneers wielded a swift scoring spell of their own to retake the lead moments into the latter period. Two field goals by Jenise Adams helped push Volunteer State in front 44-39 with 12:55 left in the second.
Allen and Patterson kept the Lady Tigers within striking distance of their nationally ranked opponent. Patterson had three straight layups in the paint while Allen knocked down a couple of three-pointers to bring the contest into a stalemate at 62-62.
But Daniel, who is currently 11th in the country with a 58.3 percent mark from behind the arc, hit the bottom of the net on her final five attempts in the last four minutes to put the matchup out of reach for Northeast.
"We had some good stretches where we demonstrated that we belonged to be with these top 25 teams," Lady Tigers headman Brian Alexander said. "We're excited because the future is bright."
Hughes registered the second double-digit performance of her freshman year at Northeast. The Clinton High School graduate had with 14 points with a career-high five made field goals.
Patterson was phenomenal in the post for the Lady Tigers. She went 6 of 7 from her center position with 12 points, seven rebounds and her third block in the past two outings.
"My height just tells it all. I've got it, but I've just gotta put in the work," said Patterson. "I've just got to keep doing what I did tonight and get better everyday."
Daniel had a game-high 31 points to pace the Lady Pioneers (3-1) while Flowers added a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
Northeast (3-2) logged a season-best 15 assists versus Volunteer State. Agnew guided that effort with six assists and also had a team-high eight boards.
The Lady Tigers begin a lengthy layoff of 12 days between matchups and do not return to action until Tuesday, December 2 when Arkansas Baptist College visits the City of Hospitality for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.