POPLARVILLE – Pearl River Community College got all it wanted from a struggling Hinds team Thursday night, but the Wildcats proved too much in the end as they took a 92-73 victory in men’s basketball action at M.R. White Coliseum.
PRCC improved to 10-1 overall and 2-1 in South Division play; Hinds dropped to 2-7 and 0-3.
Freshman Eric Thornton Jr. (Jackson) had a season-high 34 points, along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the Wildcats. Thornton took over the game in the second half, scoring 22 of his points after halftime to stave off the pesky Bulldogs.
Pearl River never trailed, but Hinds kept it close until midway through the first half, when the Wildcats went on a 22-7 run to take a 40-25 lead with 3:01 to play in the period. But Hinds rallied and cut the margin to 42-37 at intermission.
The Wildcats began to pull away midway through the second half, going on a 10-2 run over a two-minute span, and they steadily pulled away from there.
PRCC helped itself by converting 31 of 52 shots from the field (59.6 percent), including 8 of 12 from 3-point range, and sank 22 of 34 foul shots.
Sophomore Brandon Cranford (Louisville, Ky.) had 19 points off the bench, freshman Jonas James III (Jackson) finished with 12 points and freshman Cedric Brim (Tupelo) added 11 points, all in the first half.
Pearl River travels to Ellisville on Saturday for the first of two basketball Cat Fights against Jones County in a game that was postponed from Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
PRCC women 75, Hinds 69: Pearl River Community College women started strong and stayed strong down the stretch Thursday night, posting a big 75-69 upset of Hinds in women’s basketball action at M.R. White Coliseum.
The Lady Wildcats (7-3 overall) led from start to finish to earn their first South Division win of the season after two defeats in division play. Hinds (10-2, 1-2) lost its second straight game.
PRCC took command right from the start, leading 19-10 after the first quarter, as sophomore Tariah Mouton (Meridian) had nine of her career-high 21 points in the first 10 minutes.
Pearl River led by as many as 15 points late in the first half and went into halftime with a 37-23 lead. The Lady Wildcats also built a 15-point lead at the end of the third quarter, enough to weather a comeback bid from the Lady Bulldogs.
PRCC was 24 of 51 from the field (47.1 percent) for the game, but more importantly, converted 23 of 34 foul shots, including 16 of 23 in the fourth quarter to hold off the Hinds rally.
Mouton sank 7 of 10 free throws in the final period, and sophomore Adyn Strickland (Saucier) capped a season-high 16-point night with a breakaway lay-up in the final seconds to seal the win.
Strickland added 8 rebounds, sophomore Charisma Walker (Brandon) had 13 boards, to go with 10 points, and sophomore Tyasia Willis (Camden) grabbed 9 rebounds.
The Lady Wildcats will battle Jones County in the first Cat Fight of the season Saturday at Ellisville, in a game that was rescheduled from Tuesday because of bad weather.
