ELLISVILLE, Miss. — No. 11 Pearl River was fully effective in the victory over Jones College. Forcing turnovers, grabbing rebounds, and nailing 3-pointers all contributed to the Wildcats winning 70-43.
"We converted 22 turnovers and had 23 offensive rebounds. It was a supreme and total team effort," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "Our ball movement was really good. We continuously made the extra pass."
FIRST HALF
The first quarter began slowly for both Pearl River (24-3 Overall; 11-1 MACCC) and Jones College (5-18; 1-11), as it seemed neither team could find the net, but Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio; Charles F. Brush) broke through the paint for a layup and the first points of the game.
Marley Freeman (Brandon) found Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central), who pump-faked and dropped in her first 3-pointer of the contest, 7-5 PRCC.
Samaya Brooks (Pontotoc) put back a rebound and drew a foul, which she converted, 11-5. Avery Young (Iota, La.) connected on a clean 3-pointer off the right side of the arc for her first points of the game. The period ended quietly, with The Wildcats leading 15-10.
After a layup and free throw boosted the Wildcats lead in the second quarter, Jones hit a 3-pointer of its own. Fielder answered right back with her second deep ball, 21-13. Johnson-Matthews fought inside to earn two from the free-throw line and she drilled both shots. Alexis Arrington (Terry) drove off the left corner and inside, hitting a nice floater off the glass along the way.
Pearl River continued to attack inside as its lead grew to 40-21 after an eight-point run. Johnson-Matthews stole one from the Bobcats and led it down the court to make it a 19-point contest, 42-23.
The half closed with the Wildcats leading 42-27.
SECOND HALF
After the second half opened 44-31, Young blocked a Bobcat shot. She then followed that up with a 3-pointer from the right corner. The third quarter primarily featured Young as she dished inside to Johnson-Matthews, whose presence alone drew in Jones' defenders before she sent it back to Young, who unleashed her third 3-pointer of the night. Young continued her play, knocking down a step-back fadeaway for her 15th point of the game.
The Wildcats opened the fourth quarter holding a 20-point lead, 54-34, before Johnson-Matthews charged inside for a basket. Deep and straightaway from the basket, Fielder nailed her fourth long ball to set the score at 59-37. On the next Wildcat possession, she notched another, 62-37.
Johnson-Matthews was found running towards the basket from one end to the other as she put in a relaxed layup. The Wildcats wasted time off the clock as they passed the ball around to the court. It eventually found the hands of Fielder, who hammered her sixth and final deep shot.
A Brooklyn Anderson (Greeneville, Tenn.; North Greene) bucket inside extended the Wildcats to a 30-point lead, 69-39. Pearl River remained on top as the game went final, 70-43.
BY THE NUMBERS
Fielder led the Wildcats with 20 points, as she knocked down six 3-pointers, going 7-for-21 and 6-for-20 from deep.
Johnson-Matthews had quite the evening, nearly securing a triple-double. She totaled 15 points, a season-high 17 rebounds and seven assists. She was 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
"Taylor was phenomenal on the glass — that's what we need her to do," Fletcher said. "It gives our team an edge."
Young created 15 points of her own. She shot 4-for-10 overall and 3-for-8 from beyond. She also went 4-for-4 on free throw attempts.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back inside Marvin R. White Coliseum on Monday as they take on Mississippi Delta. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m. The game will serve as the team's Sophomore Night.
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 PRCC ATHLETICS INTERN JAXON DUNAWAY.