SUMMIT – The 10th-ranked Jones County Junior College Bobcats improved to 13-0 with a 77-64 victory over Southwest Mississippi Thursday night.
Bryce Jones scored 23 points to lead the Bobcats to the win here at the Southwest Basketball Center.
JCJC remains in first place in the MACJC South Division with a 6-0 mark. The Bobcats have won 21 straight games going back to last season's national championship run in Hutchinson, Kansas.
JCJC was in command from early on, trailing only once. The game was tied at 8-8 before the Bobcats outscored the Bears 30-8 the rest of the half to take a 38-16 lead at intermission.
JCJC led 46-20 early in the second half and cruised home for the victory.
Rodrigus Palmer added 13 for JCJC, while Bryce Perry and Christopher White had 10 each.
Lafayette Rutledge had 26 points for the Bears, including eight 3-pointers. Xavion Dillon added 16. SMCC falls to 6-8 overall, 3-3 in the division.
The Bobcats outrebounded the Bears, 33-31. Cunningham had nine rebounds and White added seven. Dillon had 10 boards for SMCC and David Burrell added nine.
JCJC was 31-of-55 from the field, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range, for 56 percent. The Bobcats were 6-of-13 from the free throw line.
Southwest was 20-of-53 from the field, including 8-of-21 from the 3-point line. The Bears were 16-of-19 from the charity stripe.
JCJC returns home on Monday to face Hinds Community College at A.B. Howard Gymnasium. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. and will air on www.jcjc.tv.
Southwest travels to East Central on Monday.
 
Thursday's game
At Summit
Southwest Basketball Center
 MEN
Jones County 77, Southwest Miss. 64
JONES COUNTY (13-0, 6-0) – Bryce Jones 23, Rodrigus Palmer 13, Christopher White 10, Bryce Perry 10, Marquis Cunningham 6, Nigel Bradley 6, Otis Harvey 4, Zeb Rice 3, Andrew Riley 2.
SOUTHWEST MISS. (6-8, 3-3) – Lafayette Rutledge 26, Xavion Dillon 16, Jaylen Moore 9, David Burrell 5, C.J. Polite 4, Trent Jeffries 4.
Jones County          38 39 – 77
Southwest Miss.      16 48 – 64