By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Nov. 20, 2001
DECATUR The Jones Junior College Bobcats outscored Itawamba 39-23 in the second half to take a 74-55 victory in the East Central Community College Classic Monday afternoon. Jones improved to 2-1 with the win.
The Lady Bobcats, 1-2, dropped a 71-66 contest to Itawamba earlier in the day. Jones will face Holmes today in the two-day event with women's basketball action beginning at 2 p.m.
Jones Men 74
Itawamba 55
Nick Paige tossed in a season-high 20 points to lead the Bobcats past the Indians.
Jones carried a 35-32 lead into halftime and went up 50-39 on a 3-pointer from Chris Keyes midway through the second half.
Itawamba, 2-1, got to within 56-48 on a basket from Trent Vaughn with 6:54 left when Paige took over, scoring eight unanswered points over a 60-second span to put Jones up 63-48.
Paige was 8-of-12 from the floor and hit three of his six 3-point attempts. Jones also got 14 points from McKinley Bethea, 11 from M.J. Johnson, 10 from Keyes, and seven from Rashaune Walters. Bethea had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bobcats were 24-of-60 from the floor (40 percent) and 19-of-25 at the free-throw line.
ICC Women 71
Jones 66
Itawamba took a 40-34 lead into halftime behind 15 points from Shana Woodruff and held off the Lady Bobcats for the five-point win.
Jones got to within four points on four occasions in the later stages with a basket from Thelma Cooper trimming Itawamba's lead to 61-57 with