The Southwest Bears had the Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans on the ropes, just one final blow away from securing a home victory and a perfect 3-0 start to the season.
But the Bears were never able to deliver the knockout punch, and the Trojans came back to steal an 87-81 victory Monday night.
After leading for most of the second half, the Bears were trailing by two points with less than 20 seconds remaining.
Point guard Chris Jones rushed the ball up the floor to set up a play for a potential game-tying basket, but unfortunately for the Bears, Jones dribbled the ball off his foot and lost it to the Trojans, all but sealing a victory for the road team.
“They went and made plays and we didn’t,” Southwest head coach Casey Carter said. “I hate it that I am saying that about my team but they (Mississippi Delta) deserved to win.”
The Trojans were Southwest’s most physical opponent so far this season, and it showed on the court.
Southwest led by 10 at halftime and by 12 with just 12 minutes left in the game, but were never able to pull away from the Trojans and put the game out of reach.
The two teams combined 52 personal fouls, and both were in the double-bonus just eight minutes into the second half, turning the final stretch of the game into a free throw-shooting contest.
The Bears shot just 66 percent from the charity stripe, leaving a handful of critical points off the board.
“They made plays in a hostile environment, and then we had it hushed but just couldn’t make plays,” said a frustrated Carter.
The physical play and high number of fouls took Southwest out of the up-tempo style head coach Casey Carter has instilled in his team. The Bears committed 17 turnovers in a season-low 81-point performance on offense.
Things began to get chippy in the second half for both squads as they dealt each other punishing blow after punishing blow. Players from both teams began barking at each other on the court and posing after sinking big shots.
The Bears’ frustrations came to a head midway through the second half following a dunk by Mississippi Delta’s James Evans, who shared choice words with some Bears players following a momentus slam. Carter was incensed at Evans’ actions, screaming from his bench down the floor to Trojans’ head coach Derrick Fears. Neither coach left their bench to confront the other.
Southwest was led once again by star forward Twymond Howard, who scored 26 points (including 4-8 shooting from three-point range) and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Carter said Howard stepped up as the team’s leader in the locker room following the difficult loss.
“Everybody had their heads down, so I went around and tried to encourage everybody and say ‘don’t put your head down,’” Howard said. “This is just our third game, we have a lot to improve on. But we got a long season ahead of us.”
Southwest will now enjoy a week off before hosting the Coca-Cola Classic on Nov. 18-19.
Lady Bears earn impressive win
The Southwest Lady Bears won their second consecutive game Monday night with an impressive 79-65 win in the opening game of Southwest’s double-header against Mississippi Delta.
The Lady Bears led by as many as 22 points in the second half, thanks to 20 points from Madison Mault and 19 more from April Levy.
“We caught them at a good time. This is their fourth game in a week, so we’re not going to jump for joy too high because we know we caught them at a good time. But they are a good team and it’s a good win at home.”
The first half was a back-and-forth affair for the Bears and the Trojans, as the two traded leads in a fast-paced opening 20 minutes. Neither head coach called a timeout in the game’s opening 12 minutes as the team’s began to feel out one another. Harris said he was more than pleased with how his team opened the game.
“We were rolling, and frankly I only called my first timeout just to give us a little rest,” Harris said. “If you’re rolling, all I can do is mess it up by calling a timeout.”
Southwest continued to roll in the second half behind tremendous ball movement and hot shooting from the outside. Mault was a torried 3-4 from behind the three-point arc, and Levy knocked in three 3s of her own.
Forward Raven Reyes had her best game of the season, scoring eight points on a perfect 4-4 shooting night while pulling down eight rebounds. Harris said having a presence like Reyes inside will be key for the Lady Bears as their season continues.
“Last year we were so small and we had to kind of create ways to defend inside and create points inside,” he said. “She’s a great team player and fills a valuable role, and it was good to see a team-player get some individual success tonight.”
The 2-1 Lady Bears resume play next week when Southwest hosts the Coca-Cola Classic.
