SUMMIT, Miss. — The No. 10 Pearl River women's basketball team got stronger as the game went on to topple Southwest 78-59 on Thursday night. Never wavering, PRCC scored 46 points in the second half.
With the victory, Pearl River has now won 20 or more games in three straight seasons, marking the first time that the feat has been accomplished in program history.
"It had never been done before. I told the girls you have an unbelievable opportunity to make history — it was really special," head coach Scotty Fletcher said of the record-breaking victory. "This is a great group of girls. I thought we were resilient tonight. That's the word that sticks out to me."
FIRST HALF
The first half was evenly matched, but Pearl River (20-3 Overall; 7-1 MACCC) held the edge. Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) was a big reason. She racked up 14 total points while hitting four 3-pointers in the two quarters.
The game's first basket came off the fingers of Samaya Brooks (Pontotoc), who converted a free throw. Pearl River then made an early statement, forcing a Southwest (16-5; 7-1) shot-clock violation. Fielder then launched her first of four deep bombs, setting the score 4-0 PRCC.
Tiir Nyok (High Point, N.C.; Southwest Guilford) got her hands on a steal and broke away for a layup, fighting off contact from behind, 8-2. Marley Freeman (Brandon) connected a ball smoothly off the glass and into the net from deep for a 3-pointer. The Wildcats had the advantage, 11-6.
The Bears shortly grabbed a lead, 14-13, before Fielder launched her second 3-pointer of the half, 16-14 PRCC. The Wildcats added four more points to close the first quarter with a 20-14 advantage.
Early in the second period, the Bears were back within two. But Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio; Charles F. Brush) charged in, landed a bucket and was fouled in the process. She converted the extra basket.
Shortly after, Fielder fired again from range, hitting and setting the score to 25-18, Wildcats. Then, Nyok executed a clean no-look pass to Brooklyn Anderson (Greeneville, Tenn.; North Greene), who added two more.
From the logo adjacent to the Wildcat bench, Fielder nailed her fourth 3-pointer, a deep shot smoothly into the basket. The half closed 32-28 in favor of Pearl River.
SECOND HALF
PRCC rained 3-pointers to begin the second half. Avery Young (Iota, La.), Johnson-Matthews, and Fielder all hit early. Young put up 17 points in the second half as Johnson-Matthews added 21 points to her stat line.
It started with Johnson-Matthews, who hit a timely 3-pointer off the left wing. This set the lead to 35-30. Young then marched to the same exact spot and launched her own dagger. Freeman lunged inside, drawing in defenders as she dished back to Johnson-Matthews, who unleashed a ruthless, third-straight 3-pointer. The 9-0 momentum-fueling run forced a Bear timeout.
It was only a short time before Fielder joined the long-ball party again. She hit one of her own, pushing the score to 44-35, Wildcats. Leah Wilcher (Brookhaven) managed to drop the ball in as she fell to the ground after grabbing an offensive rebound. She made it 50-37. The period closed out at 53-42, Pearl River.
To open the final 10 minutes, Young went underneath the basket and found Kamren Edwards (Jackson; Murrah) waiting in the left corner. She stepped up and nailed a deep jumper. Young then pushed the lead back to 10 by driving inside to the right and hitting a running layup, 57-47.
Fielder dropped in a neat left-handed floater while on the run, 59-49.
Young held the ball at the top of the court like a general before she found Johnson-Matthews in the paint and connected perfectly with a hooking pass just over the defenders. Johnson-Matthews scored two, making it 67-51, Pearl River.
Young and Johnson-Matthews established a connection late as they meshed once again. Young's pass led Johnson-Matthews right to the basket for two more. With just under three minutes remaining, Johnson-Matthews scored her 28th point. Yet again, Young was on the assist.
A one-handed move inside helped Young convert a layup. Following a foul, she went 2-for-2 at the line to close the scorebook on PRCC. The game ended 78-59 as Johnson-Matthews smothered the Bears' final attempt at points.
BY THE NUMBERS
Johnson-Matthews totaled 28 points. 21 points came in the second half. She went 8-for-9 on free throw attempts and had two baskets from beyond the arc.
"I've been saying from day one that Taylor was special," Fletcher said. "There's no question that she is a force to handle. She'll be in our record books for a long time."
Young finished with 17 points, all in the second half. She shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. She also had two 3-pointers.
"She's very saucy; she's very crafty. I love her movement," Fletcher said. "When Avery is in our lineup, we're undefeated."
Fielder followed closely with 16 points. She landed four 3-pointers, all in the first half.
"We call her big-shot Fielder for a reason. She was lights out," Fletcher said.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to Marvin R. White Coliseum on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Copiah-Lincoln.
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).
PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN BY PEARL RIVER ATHLETICS INTERN, JAXON DUNAWAY.