Women's Basketball | 2/12/2018 10:50:00 PM

ELLISVILLE – The third-ranked Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats used a balanced offensive attack and excellent defense to defeat Southwest Mississippi 78-56 here Monday night at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
The victory improves Jones to 17-3 overall, 10-1 in the MACJC South Division.
JCJC took the lead for good when Maya Jones (Northwest Rankin) scored to make 13-12 with 1:06 left in the first quarter. Breonca Ducksworth (West Jones) and Zakyia Weathersby (Collins) followed with baskets to put the Lady Bobcats up 17-12 after the opening quarter.
Another Jones' basket made it 28-17 with 7:08 left in the first half. Southwest's Keturah Bingham converted a 3-point play to make it 30-24 with 5:00 left in the second quarter.
But the Lady Bobcats closed the half on a 14-2 run and led 44-26 at halftime.
Southwest got within 50-39 late in the third quarter, but Nique Cherry (Heidelberg) and K.K. Tassin (Terry) scored baskets to give the Bobcats a 54-39 lead after three quarters.
Jones' two free throws with 5:15 left in the game gave the Lady Bobcats its largest lead at 70-43.
Cherry paced JCJC with 20 points. Ducksworth had 11, Chrystal Ezechukwu (Stone Mountain, Georgia) added 10 and Alexis Tolefree (Conway, Arkansas) had 9.
Bingham topped the Lady Bears with 18 points and Danyelle Lewis added 11.
The Lady Bears are now 16-4 overall, 7-4 in the division.
JCJC returns home at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday to meet Mississippi Gulf Coast. The game will air on www.jcjc.tv.
Southwest visits Copiah-Lincoln on Thursday.
  
Monday's game
ELLISVILLE
A.B. Howard Gymnasium
WOMEN
Jones County 78, Southwest 56
Southwest (16-4, 7-4)            12 14 13 17 – 56
Jones County (17-3, 10-1)     17 27 10 24 – 78
SOUTHWEST (56) – Keturah Bingham 18, Danyelle Lewis 11, Jamaya Galloway 6, Peyton Papenburg 5, Kacie Fountain 4, Amari Pittman 3, Ty Lee 3, Daysia Dedeaux 2, Rachel Thompson 2, Tootie Rankin 2, Tootie Carter 0.
JONES COUNTY (78) – Nique Cherry 20, Breonca Ducksworth 11, Chrystal Ezechukwu 10, Alexis Tolefree 9, K.K. Tassin 8, Camryn London 8, Maya Jones 6, Zakyia Weathersby 6, Mackenzie Thompson 0, Jaresa Brooks 0, Madison Bishop 0.