POPLARVILLE, Miss. — A season ago, the Pearl River men's basketball team's season ended at the hands of East Mississippi. The Wildcats were sure to set the tone in a non-conference rematch against the Lions Tuesday night as they throttled the visitors 89-63. The 26-point margin was EMCC's largest loss since Jan. 27, 2020.
"I didn't like how we played the other night (against Baton Rouge). I thought that we played selfishly, and that happens when you have multiple guys who can make plays and think they can score," head coach Chris Oney said. "I told the guys that this is Pearl River. We play to win games, and we play to hang banners. If we play unselfishly, we can all be successful. I'm happy that the guys did that tonight. They did an excellent job of sharing the ball."
GAME RECAP
Cedquavious Hunter (Como; North Panola) got the Pearl River (11-2 overall) crowd on its feet early in the matchup as on back-to-back offensive possessions, the Cal State Bakersfield transfer knocked down long-range 3-pointers to build a 6-0 advantage.
The Lions (7-8) roared back to even things up at 10 apiece, but the Wildcats quickly took a lead that lasted them the rest of the night when Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.; Timber Creek Regional) knocked down a layup through a hard foul, 12-10.
Green helped the lead swell to 20-14 over the next few possessions. He first threw down a vicious two-handed slam before a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the free-throw line. He wrapped up the run by snatching an offensive board and putting it back up and in.
Things continued to go the way of the Wildcats throughout the middle portion of the opening half. Hunter picked up his third 3-pointer of the contest around the 5:22 mark, and the next play saw Green dish a pass down low to Ezereke Dawson Jr. (Plant City, Fla.) for an easy layup.
The Lions had no answer for Green throughout the final five minutes of the first half as he scored eight more points to bring his total up to an impressive 24 points, sending PRCC into the midway point with a 44-29 advantage.
Halftime adjustments still couldn't slow down the 6-foot-8 forward as Green came right out of the break and hit back-to-back jumpers before securing his 30-point game by nailing an off-balance floater to extend the lead to 50-29.
Hunter took over moments later, firing a Stephen Curry range 3-pointer through the hoop. A Dawson Jr. basket was sandwiched between a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe for Hunter. He wrapped up his impressive run by driving inside, losing a defender and slashing home a jumper, 59-37.
Ta'Zir Smith (Woodbridge, Va.; Virginia Academy) got his time in the spotlight beginning at the 10-minute mark. The sophomore blocked a shot on the defensive end, grabbed the loose ball and heaved a pass down the court to the sprinting Green for a layup. Davion James (Brandon; Northwest Rankin) broke free on the next offensive possession and began driving down the court. Just in front of the basket, he bounced the ball behind him to Smith, and he took care of the rest with a tomahawk slam. Smith wasn't done there, though, catching a lob from Hunter moments later and slamming it home with two hands this time, 72-43.
The Wildcats continued to push the pedal to the floor, cruising to a dominant 89-63 victory over the Lions.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Green was virtually unstoppable, finishing the game with 34 points on 15-for-20 shooting. He also tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine.
Smith was second on the team in points with 17 while chipping in nine rebounds and eight assists. Hunter collected 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dawson Jr. was the final Wildcat in double-digits with 10 points.
UP NEXT
Pearl River remains at Marvin R. White Coliseum on Thursday as Royal Ambassadors make the trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
TICKETS
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2023-24. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).