POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team had an opportunity to get its depth some game action Thursday night inside Marvin R. White Coliseum and mashed visiting Royal Ambassadors 113-45.

"It was good to get all of the guys in the game, and they played well," head coach Chris Oney said. "Hopefully, they can build off this and help us down the stretch. We need them all."

It was all Pearl River (12-2 overall) nearly as soon as the game began, with the Wildcats opening the night on a 20-2 run. The early portion of the run was fueled by Dyllion Redmond (Jackson; Callaway), who nailed a 3-pointer from the wing. The second half of the run saw Ezereke Dawson Jr. (Plant City, Fla.) get involved as he made a good play to snatch an offensive rebound off the glass and put it back up and into the basket. 

Tye Gholar (Jackson; Provine) got hot with 13:19 remaining in the first half. He first slashed a 3-pointer through the hoop from the left corner of the court. On the next offensive possession, he caught the ball on the opposite side corner and nailed another, making the score 28-7.

Dawson Jr. put a jolt of excitement into the crowd with just over 10 minutes left in the first. Ta'Zir Smith (Woodbridge, Va.; Virginia Academy) hauled in a defensive rebound and heaved the ball the length of the court for Dawson Jr. The center corralled the ball and slammed it home, 34-7.

The Wildcats continued to cruise through the rest of the half — powered by three more Gholar 3-pointers and a driving layup — and headed into the break with a 60-14 lead.

When the clock reached 10 minutes in the second half, PRCC led 81-26 and eventually grabbed a 113-45 victory.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Gholar had a career night, going 12-for-16 from the field and 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. He finished his outing with a game-high 31 points. Smith was second on the team with 20 points. Dawson Jr. ended his night with 18 points. Davion James (Brandon; Northwest Rankin) had 12 points. Dorien Goodman (Dallas, Texas; Lancaster) and David Combest Jr. (Hattiesburg; Forrest County) rounded out those in double figures with 10 points. 

James finished with a team-high nine rebounds. Smith and Redmond had eight apiece. 

NEXT UP
The Wildcats remain at Marvin R. White Coliseum on Tuesday as Delgado makes the trip for a 6 p.m. tipoff. 

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).