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Southwest Mississippi Community College

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Region 23 Tournament
Steve Diffey

Men's Basketball Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information

Bears bow out of Region 23 Tournament

The Southwest Bears’ season came to an abrupt end Wednesday in the NJCAA Region 23 tournament in Clinton when Baton Rouge Community College escaped with an 82-81 overtime win. With the loss, the Bears end the year with a record of 15-10. BRCC moved to 15-13 and a berth in Friday’s semi-finals.
 
The first half was nip-tuck the entire way with the score tied 10 times (there were two lead changes). The Bears took the first lead, 2-0, on a Donovan Ross jumper with 19:26 on the clock. BRCC held a six-point lead, 37-31, with 5:28 left in the half before the Bears bounced back to tie it at 39-39 with 0:55 on the clock. It appeared the teams would be tied at the break, but BRCC’s Morris Wright knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to put his team up 44-41.
 
Devin Flowers, Donovan Ross and Corey Williams combined to outscore Baton Rouge 15-3 to start the second half and give the Bears a 56-47 lead with 13:54 left in the game. BRCC then went on a 19-7 run to take a six-point lead, 69-63, with 4:40 left in regulation. Southwest then went on another run, 11-5, to force the extra 5:00 with the teams tied 74-74.
 
Overtime was the same as regulation with neither team able to secure much of an edge. BRCC managed to outscore the Bears 8-7 to pick up the win and end the Bears’ campaign.
 
“Being the leader of this group, it bothers me that I can’t find any magic words to make these guys feel better,” said Southwest head coach Casey Carter. “This is an extremely tough way to go out and only time will make it better.”
 
“It did please me,” Carter went on, “to see us play so hard and so together in such a big game. You could tell it meant something to them and that means something to me. This group has set a standard that all future groups will have to live up to.”
 
The Bears’ Deville Smith led five teammates in double figures, and topped all scorers, with 24 points. Ross added 15 points, Deione Weeks scored 14, Flowers had 12 and Williams 10. Mark Bridgewater chipped in five points while Donavan James had one. Southwest hit 16 of 23 free throws.
 
BRCC was led by Trey Anthony’s 17 points. He and his teammates combined to hit nine of 11 free throws.
 
  Box Score---/documents/2013/3/7/iTS_06-03-2013.pdf?id=178
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