Lady Indians win NJCAA Region 23 title with 68-64 victory over Co-Lin
Lee Adams/LetsGoICC.com
CLINTON, MS - The Itawamba Community College women's basketball team successfully defended their NJCAA Region 23 title Saturday night as they defeated Copiah-Lincoln Community College 68-64 to win their second consecutive Region 23 crown.
The Lady Indians (23-6) jumped out to an early advantage in the title game, holding a 13-4 lead midway through the opening quarter, but the Lady Wolves would find their shots to keep the game from being one sided.
By halftime, the Lady Indians had extended their lead to 34-28, but the Lady Wolves (23-5) came out of the break red hot and cut the lead to 36-34 in the first two minutes of the second half.
Iesha Mays (Mound Bayou) and the Lady Indian defense stepped up to keep ICC on top and extend their lead to seven, 59-52 with just under six minutes to play.
In the closing minutes, the Lady Indians saw their lead cut down to one, 65-64, and the Lady Wolves had possession after a questionable five second call against ICC. On the following inbound pass, Jabria Pounds (Nettleton) picked up the steal with 17.8 second remaining. Alontra Tucker (Lamar) and Erika Toney hits free throws in the closing seconds to secure the the 68-64 win and the NJCAA Region 23 Championship.
Mays finished the title game with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds while Marlee Hatcher (Pontotoc) chipped in 10 points.
Kelly Allen paced the Lady Wolves with a game-high 24 points.
The Lady Indians have qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament that begins March 14 in Lubbock, TX. Seeding is set to be announced March 6 at 3:03 pm.
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