The final non-conference test for the Lady Bears was passed with flying colors Thursday as they built an early lead and rode that momentum to the tune of a 70-41 home win over Hinds.
 
"I would have like to have seen a few more points, I thought that we left some plays on the floor, but it was a good bounce back," Southwest head coach Brent Harris said commenting on his team's improved play following a tough outing Tuesday at Mississippi Gulf Coast. 
 
From the opening tip, the Lady Bears (9-4) had an aggressive approach on both ends of the floor. A smothering defense was complemented with key makes from Veronica Williams, Kennedee Shelton and Michaela Payton. For the rest of the first quarter it was Bethany Graves who imposed her will with nine of the next 12 Southwest points helping the Lady Bears take a 19-11 lead through the first 10:00 of play.
 
"I feel like our defense was a key part of how we played. The other night we didn't play good defense so it didn't create much on offense," Graves said. "(Tonight) the defense really helped create on offense."
 
A few minutes into the second quarter, Southwest watched its lead shrink down to four. However, the Lady Bears regained their composure and relied once again on Graves and Payton who led the offense. Southwest closed the quarter on an 11-2 run consisting mostly on a pair of baskets each from Shelton and Kara Beth Addison.
 
The Lady Bears led 38-22 at the half.
 
Despite the lead, Southwest did not take its foot off of the gas in the third quarter. Addison added back-to-back makes with the latter coming at the 7:17 mark. Her makes kicked off a 9-0 run which gave the Lady Bears a 53-28 lead.
 
Leading 58-30 at the start of the fourth, Bri Doucet got into the mix with back-to-back baskets to kick off the fourth on a high note for the hosts. She added another make a few minutes later followed by a pair of free throws from Niyla Wright continuing the trend of strong play from the Lady Bear post players on the evening.
 
Down the stretch, the defense continued to flex its muscle before the clock ran out giving Southwest the win.
 
Graves led all scorers with 19 points while Shelton poured in 11.
 
The Lady Bears will be back in action on Thursday as the open up MACCC Conference Play at Northwest Mississippi at 5:30 p.m.