EMCC Lady Lions improve to 2-0 with 71-62 win over Baton Rouge in home opener

SCOOBA – The East Mississippi Community College women's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 71-62 home win over NJCAA Region 23 foe Baton Rouge Community College during Monday's action played at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.

In their first home action of the new season, the Lady Lions got down early and trailed the BRCC women by eight points (17-9) late in the opening quarter of play.

EMCC responded by opening the second quarter with an 11-2 run to turn a 17-11 deficit into a 22-19 lead following consecutive three-pointers from Micaiah Satcher and Ciara Warren along with a putback basket by Hinds transfer Ariana Crimm. The Lady Lions later doubled their lead to 30-24 on back-to-back treys from La'Nasia DuBois, but BRCC scored the last eight points of the half to go ahead by a basket, 34-32, heading to intermission.

Following the halftime break, Satcher drilled three triples and reigning All-MACCC guard Dukiaha Jones made an impact defensively with three steals in the first five minutes of the half as part of an 11-0 run that gave the Lady Lions a 43-36 advantage.

The Lady Bears responded by scoring the game's next eight points to briefly take what would be their last lead (44-43) of the contest with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter. EMCC answered right back by scoring the next two baskets on Warren's long two-pointer and a made trey by Zarria Shipp that would serve as a precursor to the start of the final quarter of play with the home team up by four points (52-48).

A sophomore guard and one of only three returners on this year's EMCC women's squad, Shipp made three more baskets during the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to put the Lady Lions on top by nine points (59-50). Later in the quarter, Liberty Hughes' drive to the basket following a steal extended the lead to 11 points (65-54) to further diminish BRCC's chances of a possible comeback.

Satcher, a sophomore from Gluckstadt and a product of Germantown High School, scored a career-high 15 points with her five made three-point baskets. Jones, a sophomore from West Point, followed with 11 points along with totaling nine rebounds, seven steals and four assists for the winners.

BRCC's Jacey Coleman led all game scorers with 19 points, while Emani Young and Shelcie LeBlanc added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the visitors.

Coach Isaiah Butler's 2-0 EMCC Lady Lions will face another challenging opponent on Thursday (Nov. 6), as preseason 15^th-ranked Wallace State-Hanceville visits the Scooba campus for a 5:30 p.m. contest at EMCC's Currie Coliseum.