Booneville, Miss. - A little extra time in the film room helped Northeast Mississippi Community College women's basketball standout Aundrea Adams get back into her normal groove in the post.
Adams recorded the first double-double of her sophomore season to help the Lady Tigers claim their initial victory of the new year 76-52 over Lawson State (Ala.) Community College on Thursday, November 9 at legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
The 5-11 forward barely broke into double figures and only had five rebounds during Northeast's opener versus Shelton State (Ala.) Community College. She returned to the true form just three days later with a sensational performance.
Adams compiled game-highs of 23 points, which was one point shy of tying her career-best mark of 24 set against Hinds Community College in the 2017 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Tournament, and 11 rebounds.
"I sat down and watched us play against Shelton State and I concluded that I wasn't moving on the floor very well," Adams said. "I told myself tonight that I was not going to make those same mistakes and I was going to play better."
The Lady Tigers never trailed, but did find themselves in an early battle. The two teams were tied at 7-7 midway through the opening period after Northeast's Cherelle Jones and Samiyah Pullen of the Lady Cougars exchanged baskets.
The final points of the quarter for the Lady Tigers (1-1) were all at the charity stripe, but those free tosses by Adryana Bell, Maria Lauderdale and Adams allowed Northeast to take a 16-11 advantage into the second.
The Lady Tigers quickly expanded their lead to double-digits with back-to-back buckets from Dayzsha Rogan and Adams. Adallice Young followed them with a trey to make it a 24-11 advantage for Northeast with 7:57 left before the break.
Defense was a major factor for the Lady Tigers during the remainder of the period. Northeast held Lawson State (1-2) scoreless over a stretch of nearly six minutes to take a 35-20 lead into the locker room.
LaJayla Turnage made a big shot from behind the arc while Jada Tubbs accounted for three points in that key spurt by the Lady Tigers. Markeela Fisk and Leah Shorty added layups just before the buzzer sounded as well.
The Lady Cougars never came closer than their 15-point halftime deficit as Northeast used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to pull away even more. Tyra Tucker had five of those points while Young drained another three-pointer.
The Lady Tigers led 56-35 entering the final period and maintained their firm position atop the scoreboard with six more points apiece from the combination of Adams and Rogan.
"We had a lot of positive things that happened in this game," said Northeast head coach Brenda Mayes. "I was really excited that we shared (the ball) with the open man and that we had a good transition game."
The score line past Adams was very balanced for the Lady Tigers. All but one participant got into the scoring column while Northeast racked up 23 assists on 28 made baskets.
Jones was the only other Lady Tiger to reach double figures with 10 points on the dot. She also accumulated seven rebounds and three steals during her inaugural start in the post alongside Adams.
"We came out tonight with the intensity to win this game," Jones said. "I like playing with Aundrea. We actually work very well together. We know how to just play as a team and get everybody else involved."
Rogan pieced together another solid showing from top to bottom with nine points, seven assists and five steals. Tucker and Young had seven points each to round out the starting five for Northeast.
The Lady Tigers forced Lawson State into committing 37 turnovers and doubled up their guests 48-24 in points in the paint. Northeast shot 47.5 percent overall and had a plus-nine margin in rebounding.
Northeast completes its three-game home stand to begin the 2017-18 campaign on Tuesday, November 14 by welcoming Volunteer State (Tenn.) Community College. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. in the City of Hospitality.