Greyhounds Get “Signature” Win on the Road

By Chuck Livingston
The Evening Times
Sports Editor
and MSCC Sports Information

The road is a tough place to play, let alone win.

Unless you're the MSCC Greyhounds, that is.

The Greyhounds remained perfect away from home in 2013 as they nabbed a 95-91 win away from Northwest Mississippi on Monday night.

"We persevered through the most adversity we have seen this season," MSCC Head Coach Chris Parker said after the game.

The Greyhounds had a host of heroes on their way to their fourth consecutive win as five different players scored in double digits.

MSCC shot the ball well in the first half, finishing at nearly 45% for the game, but scorched the nets  off in the second frame, shooting over 70% from the field and 60% from three-point range.

Northwest Mississippi took a 44-40 lead into the halftime break, but that figure was much worse as the home team led by as many as 17 points midway through the opening stanza. MSCC turned the tables in the second half, scoring 55 points, which was enough to take the victory.

The Greyhounds weren't just looking for offense in the second half, however. They set out to put the stops on Northwest Mississippi as well, holding the home team to just 43% in the second half after allowing them to hit half of their shots in the opening frame.

MSCC allowed 47 points in the second half, but most of that was due to a 20-7 second chance point advantage for Northwest Mississippi.

"This was a tremendous effort and display of mental toughness by our student-athletes. This was a signature win for our program to beat a division 1 program in their own gym, especially a traditionally strong program like Northwest Mississippi," Parker said of the long-term ramifications of Monday's landmark victory.

Jake Veasley paced the Greyhounds in scoring on Monday, with 19 points in 25 minutes of play. Veasley also added in three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Right behind Veasley in the scoring department was T.J. Handley who continued his run of good play with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal as he shot a tidy 50% from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.

Former West Memphis High School great Arthur Jackson scored 15 points on a staggering 7-9 shooting before fouling out.

Rodney Ollison posted 10 points of his own and led the team in rebounding with seven boards, including two offensive rebounds and two blocks. Tyrone Willis was the last Greyhound in double figures as he ended up with 11 points after hitting 5-6 free throws. Tony White and Joe'Randle Toliver combined for 13 assists.

MSCC fought past four double digit scorers from Northwest Mississippi as well, led by Dajon Reno who finished with 17 points in just 21 minutes of play.

The Greyhounds again travel out of state as they take on the Cougars of Mid-Continent University on December 6 in Mayfield, Kentucky. The men then return home on Thursday, December 12, hosting Central Baptist College in a single game at 6:00 p.m. before a double-header on Monday, December 16, against Southwest Tennessee Community College with the women tipping off the action at 5:00 p.m. followed by the men at 7:00 p.m. in The Dog House.