Wolves win vital South Division matchup with Hinds

UTICA – The Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves battled back from a 13-point deficient to defeat the Bulldogs of Hinds 76-69 Thursday night. The MACJC South Division win moves the Wolves to 10-9 on the season and 4-6 in divisional play. Co-Lin is back in action Monday, Feb. 13 as the Warriors of East Central travel to Wesson. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Watch the game live at colinathletics.com or listen live at WMJU 104.3 FM in Brookhaven.

"Wednesday was one of our best practices this year, so we were ready to come out here and win," said coach Kenny Bizot. "This was a must win game for us, and I'm very proud of how this basketball team came out and competed."

Co-Lin kept the game close early in Utica as the score was tied on four occasions in the first five minutes, but the Hinds Bulldogs slowly pulled away. A 14-2 run by the Bulldogs late in the half gave Hinds a 30-17 lead with just 7:13 left on the clock.

The Wolves rallied and cut this lead to just eight in the final seconds of the half. A foul against the Wolves at the buzzer allowed the Bulldogs to net two free throws and take a 10-point lead in to the locker room.

Co-Lin's offense found a spark five minutes into the second half and went on a 12-2 run. The burst of offense was the result of solid defensive play, and the Wolves preventing Hinds from scoring second chance points by grabbing rebounds. The Wolves led by three with 11:34 remaining in the game.

Hinds fought back and tied the game five times in the next six minutes of play. With 5:32 left in the ballgame Co-Lin took a two-point lead after a three-pointer from Trae Thompson. The Wolves would hang on to that lead for the remainder of the contest and leave Utica with a much-needed South Division victory.

Darrian Wilson led the Wolves in the scoring column with 17 points. He also brought down four rebounds. Thompson added 15 points and four assists, while Lamarcus Lee finished with 14 points and a team high nine rebounds. Anthony Jones came off the bench and scored 10, while Youry White finished with five points and eight rebounds.

Trojuan White led Hinds with 17 points. Deangelo West netted 15 points while Kourey Davis added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Co-Lin shot 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field, 43 percent (9-for-21) from three-point range, and 74 percent (17-of-23) from the free throw line. The Wolves brought down 43 rebounds. Hinds shot 32 percent (22-for-69) from the field, 31 percent (9-for-29) from three-point range, and 89 percent (16-for-18) from the foul line. The Bulldogs posted 34 rebounds.