Wolves fall to Holmes, 65-52, in season opener

WESSON, Miss. - The Wolves of Copiah-Lincoln Community College fell to 0-1 on the year as the Holmes Community College Bulldogs came out on top of a 65-52 contest on Monday night. The game, which saw just four lead changes, was very fast-paced and physical as both squads worked through first-game jitters. Co-Lin is back in action this Thursday, November 7 as the team travels to Eunice, La. to face the LSU Eunice Bengals. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. 

"Our defense played really well, really kept us in the game, but the shots were falling and that kind of deflated us," said head coach Kenny Bizot. "This type of 3-point performance isn't going to win any games with our system, and we were just too selfish on the offensive end of the floor. We battled and played hard, just too selfish, all in all, with a defensive performance like we had, we need to win that game."

It was all Holmes in the opening minutes of the game Monday night as the Bulldogs jumped out to an eight-point, 16-8, lead midway through the first half. The Wolves began to claw their way back later in the half as Cameron Woodall, Dajon Whitworth, and Tyree Lomax capitalized on trips to the free-throw stripe. In the final two minutes, the Wolves fired off a 6-0 run led by Lomax that gave Co-Lin their first lead of the game, 26-24, with just 1:25 remaining until halftime. Holmes took advantage of a late three-point play in the final seconds of the half to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room. 

The opening minutes of the second half continued to be a battle for both teams as neither team could take a commanding lead. A pair of free-throws from Madison tied the game for the fourth time at 36-36 with 15:48 remaining in the game. Darius Kent got the fans on their feet immediately after with a big three-pointer, giving the Wolves the lead. Unfortunately, Holmes regained their footing and came back with 14-2 run that grew the Bulldogs' lead to 50-41 with 10 minutes to play. The run, led by Joshua Lewis pulled the game just out of reach for the Wolves. Co-Lin made a final push with 7 minutes to play with a 6-0 run led by Whitworth, but the effort fell short as Holmes stretched the lead over final five minutes to secure the 65-52 victory. 

Whitworth led the Wolves in scoring with 14 points, while Tyree Lomax added 11 in his first game for Co-Lin. Three players led the team on the glass with Woodall, Je'Kevious Williams, and JD Allen all hauling in seven rebounds. Kaleb Higgins led Holmes with 23 points, while Lewis netted 14. Amadou Traore led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds. 

Co-Lin shot 29 percent (19-of-65) from the floor, 11 percent (3-of-27) from three-point range, and 61 percent (11-of-18) from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent (25-of-59) from the floor, 14 percent (2-of-14) from downtown, and 65 percent (13-of-20) from the stripe. Holmes outrebounded the Wolves 47 to 41.