POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River women's basketball team responded from a tough loss on Friday by defeating Copiah-Lincoln 49-46 Monday night to improve to 7-1 in MACCC play.
"We've been talking to our players about basketball being a game of runs," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "You have to be able to weather the storm. This was not our best offensive night tonight, but I think we were able to get stops when we needed to and rebounded well."
The Wildcats (14-5 overall; 7-1 MACCC) returned home for their eighth conference game of the season to face the Wolves (12-6; 4-3) and delivered a gritty performance in front of the home crowd.
Pearl River fell behind early, trailing 4-2, before an 8-1 run gave the Wildcats a 10-5 advantage late in the first quarter. Chauncey Dixon (Leroy, Ala.; McIntosh) sparked the surge with back-to-back baskets, while Cy'Nara Robinson (McGehee, Ark.) and Madison Hughes (Olive Branch; Center Hill) added layups of their own.
Copiah-Lincoln answered with a basket before the end of the quarter, sending Pearl River into the second with a 10-7 lead.
The Wolves briefly took control in the second quarter, scoring the first four points, but Pearl River responded with a free throw and two three-pointers — one from Robinson and another from Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter's Chapel) — to reclaim the lead at 17-13. The teams traded baskets down the stretch before Hughes closed the half with a score to give the Wildcats a 27-24 advantage at halftime.
Robinson and Smith led Pearl River offensively in the first half and picked up right where they left off after the break. Both scored early in the third quarter, and a basket from Hughes stretched the Wildcats' lead to eight at 30-22.
Copiah-Lincoln answered with a pair of baskets, but Pearl River surged again, capped by a corner 3-pointer from Hughes to push the lead back to eight at 40-32. After the Wolves trimmed the deficit to five, Atesa Johnson (Lewisville, Ark.) made an immediate impact, converting an and-one and scoring on a fast break following a Copiah-Lincoln turnover to give Pearl River its largest lead of the night at 45-35.
The Wolves made a late push, but Pearl River sealed the victory at the free-throw line as time wound down, securing the 49-46 win.
LEADING THE WAY
Robinson led the Wildcats with 14 points on 60-percent shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a team-high four assists. Hughes added 11 points, including six from beyond the arc, and pulled down seven rebounds.
NEXT UP
Pearl River hits the road Saturday, traveling to Clarksdale to take on Coahoma at 3 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at CoahomaSports.com/watch.
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