Booneville, Miss. - Adallice Young and the large cast of freshmen on the Northeast Mississippi Community College women's basketball team seem to be finding their groove.
Young reached double figures for the first time at the collegiate level during the Lady Tigers 84-44 triumph over Volunteer State (Tenn.) Community College on Tuesday, November 14 inside historic Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
Young tallied 11 points in just 16 minutes of action. The former Dandy Dozen selection by The Clarion-Ledger had four field goals, including three treys, plus four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
"I try to have a great impact on my team," said Young. "I'm just trying to fit in where I can and play my role. As long as we're winning, I don't care as much about scoring honestly. I've got to be a great player defensively."
Young was not the only newcomer to record their inaugural double-digit performance with the Lady Tigers. Lanoria Abrams and Dayzsha Rogan also accomplished that feat with 11 points apiece to their credit.
Aundrea Adams had a game-high 20 points to guide Northeast offensively. It was the sixth career and second consecutive outing in which she scored at least 20 points in a single contest.
"We're steadily building our confidence as a team," Adams said. "Our coaches talked about the posts running the floor and getting easy layups and I think that's where a majority of my points came from tonight."
Neither squad led by more than one possession for the initial five minutes of the matchup. The Lady Tigers took the lead for good with 5:31 remaining in the first quarter on a Rogan jumper that was assisted by Young.
That Rogan bucket kick started a 17-2 run by Northeast that put the hosts in control of the game. LaJayla Turnage later beat the horn on a long distance shot to lift the Lady Tigers ahead 31-17 at the end of the first.
Northeast held the Lady Pioneers (0-5) scoreless for three minutes, 30 seconds in the middle of the second period and expanded its advantage to 42-21 after Cherelle Jones made the front end of a two shot violation.
The Lady Tigers accounted for eight of the final nine points scored in the second. Victoria Hale and Tyra Tucker both had a basket in that stretch to push Northeast ahead 50-26 at the intermission.
Young knocked down another trey and Chelsea Allen made two free throws for her first points in a black-and-gold uniform during a third quarter that saw the Lady Tigers build their advantage to 68-32.
Rogan tallied five points while Abrams posted four in the final period for Northeast (2-1). Allen's fast break layup with 3:01 to play gave the Lady Tigers their biggest lead of the night at 84-41.
"We're playing better defensively which is making the transition a lot easier on the offensive end," said Northeast head coach Brenda Mayes. "We've been really emphasizing boxing out, rebounding and limiting turnovers and I think those things helped tonight."
The Lady Tigers limited Volunteer State to just a 28.6 percent showing from the floor overall and a 12.5 percent clip from beyond the arc. Northeast oppositely shot 44.9 percent and made a season-high seven three-pointers.
Rebounding was a major factor in the contest. The Lady Tigers held a plus-21 margin with Jones pacing that effort with a career-best 16 boards to go with eight points for another near double-double.
Northeast tallied a season-low 18 turnovers and had 23 assists on 35 field goals. Jada Tubbs topped the Lady Tigers with five dimes while Rogan and Tucker accumulated four each.
The Lady Tigers are on the road for the first time this year from November 16-17 at the Tri-States Classic at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Northeast plays Lawson State (Ala.) Community College in the opening game of the tournament at noon in Senatobia.