Women's Basketball | 2/6/2018 1:19:00 AM

UTICA – Alexis Tolefree (Conway, Arkansas) hit a crucial 3-pointer with 40.9 seconds to play to help No. 3 Jones County to a 73-69 victory over Hinds Community College here Monday night at J.D. Boyd Gymnasium.
The Lady Bobcats are now 16-2 overall, 9-0 in the division and have won 10 straight games.
It was a close, hard-fought battle all the way before Jones prevailed in the fourth quarter.
Hinds had taken a 55-52 lead with 7:44 left when Ernesha Chapman made a 3-pointer. JCJC would take the lead for good at 57-55 with 4:56 left when Kira Bonner (Quitman) hit two free throws.
Chrystal Ezechukwu's (Stone Mountain, Georgia) putback with 1:56 to play gave JCJC a 63-58 lead.
Hinds cut the lead to 63-62 when Victoria Johnson made a 3-pointer.
But Tolefree answered with her 3-pointer and then made two free throws with 30.7 seconds to play to give Jones a 68-62 lead. Nique Cherry's (Heidelberg) two free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining gave JCJC its largest lead at 72-63.
Hinds had an early 8-3 lead, but Jones came back to lead 20-16 after the first quarter. Ezechukwu's basket at the buzzer gave the Lady Bobcats a 33-31 halftime lead.
The Lady Bulldogs went ahead 46-40 in the third quarter on a Johnson bucket, but the Lady Bobcats came back and would tie it at 50-50 after three quarters when Ezechukwu converted a 3-point play with 18.3 seconds left.
Tolefree led JCJC with 22 points and Ezechukwu had 15. Cherry had 9 points and 14 rebounds, while Ezechukwu had 7 boards and K.K. Tassin (Terry) had 7 assists.
The Lady Bulldogs fall to 13-5 overall, 4-5 in the division.
JCJC visits Pearl River at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The contest will air on www.prccmedia.com.
Hinds goes to Copiah-Lincoln on Thursday.
 
Monday's game
UTICA
J.D. Boyd Gymnasium
WOMEN
Jones County 73, Hinds 69
Jones County (16-2, 9-0)      20 13 17 23 – 73
Hinds (13-5, 4-5)                    16 15 19 19 – 69
JONES COUNTY (73) – Alexis Tolefree 22, Chrystal Ezechukwu 15, Nique Cherry 9, Camryn London 8, Kira Bonner 6, Mackenzie Thompson 6, Maya Jones 4, K.K. Tassin 3, Breonca Ducksworth 0.
HINDS (69) – NA