ELLISVILLE – Lekera Hughes (Oak Grove) scored a career-high 18 points – all in the first half – to help No. 7 Jones College to an 81-59 victory over Southwest Mississippi here Thursday night at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
 
It was the 23rd straight win at home for the Bobcats.
 
Daisha Bradford (Mobile, Alabama) – the reigning MACCC Player of the Week – had 17 points, 16 rebounds (12 offensive boards) and six assists. Hughes had four steals.
 
Ebony Gayden (McComb) had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Endia Holliday (South Jones) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Substitute Jakayla Johnson (Clinton) had 10 rebounds.
 
The Bobcats had an incredible edge on the boards, outrebounding Southwest by a whopping 69-32 margin. Jones had 40 offensive rebounds. That led to a 30-8 margin on second-chance points and 46-24 edge on points in the paint. 
 
The game was knotted 19-19 at the end of the first quarter and the Bears led 29-28 early in the second quarter. But Jones used an 11-0 run, capped by a Gayden layup, to take command and lead 39-29. Jayla Alexander's (Pearl) layup with one second showing gave Jones a 50-38 advantage going into halftime.
 
The Bobcats led 66-46 entering the fourth quarter and took its largest lead of the game at 74-46 with 6:56 left in the game on a Kimaya Dixon (Lafayette) layup.
 
Jones made 33-of-91 shots for 36 percent and was 7-of-26 from 3-point range for 27 percent. The Bobcats were 8-of-13 from the free throw line for 62 percent.
 
Mikayla Etienne led Southwest with 15 points, Sydni Tangle added 13 and Analya White had 10.
 
The Bears were 20-of-57 from the field for 35 percent and hit 5-of-22 from 3-point range for 23 percent. Southwest was 14-of-18 from the foul line for 78 percent.
 
Jones, 4-0, hosts Meridian at 6 p.m. Monday. The game will air on JCJC.TV.
 
Southwest, 1-1, goes to Mississippi Gulf Coast on Monday.