Vicksburg’s Jae’la Smith scored 22 points for PRCC

POPLARVILLE, Miss.(VDN) — Jae’la Smith, Vicksburg native, scored 22 points on Tuesday to lead Pearl River Community College to a 74-51 win over East Mississippi Community College. She also had three blocks and six rebounds in the win that improved PRCC’s record to 10-4 on the season.

Smith has played in 13 games this season where she is averaging 12.5 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds per game.

Game recap from PRCC Athletics:

The Pearl River women’s basketball team put on a defensive clinic Tuesday night against East Mississippi, forcing 30 turnovers to pull away from the Lions 74-51 and remain unbeaten in conference play.

“Overall, we did well defensively,” head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. “We knew this was going to be a game where we would have to switch defenses because they can shoot the basketball well and are good at getting downhill. We wanted to keep them off balance, and I think overall we responded well, rotating some bodies and face-guarding a little bit.”

Pearl River (10-4 overall; 3-0 MACCC) jumped out to an 8-2 lead over visiting East Mississippi (3-12; 0-3), fueled by a converted and-one from Jahanna Wilson (Jackson; Callaway) and five straight points from Jae’la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter’s Chapel).

The Lions responded with a run of their own, including a Smith jump shot, to pull within 10-9 before taking an 11-10 lead. Trailing late in the first quarter, Pearl River closed on an 8-0 run, highlighted by Chauncey Dixon (Leroy, Ala.; McIntosh), who scored on a layup while drawing a foul, grabbed her own rebound, and scored again on another layup.

East Mississippi opened the second quarter with a basket, but Pearl River answered quickly. Wilson hit a 3-pointer, while Toniah Watts (Terry) and Smith each scored on layups, pushing the Wildcats ahead 25-14. East Mississippi tightened the defense, but Dixon’s layup gave Pearl River a 27-20 advantage with 1:30 left in the half. Madison Hughes (Olive Branch; Center Hill) scored the final basket of the period to send 

Pearl River into halftime with a 29-22 lead.

The Wildcats started the second half with an 8-2 run, as Wilson hit two free throws and a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 37-24. Later in the third quarter, Atesa Johnson (Lewisville, Ark.; Lafayette) added a 3-pointer, and Wilson scored on a layup to keep the momentum. East Mississippi responded with a 6-0 run, but Hughes added three free throws, and Smith closed the quarter with a 3-pointer, giving Pearl River a 48-38 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Wildcats. Wilson and Smith combined for 13 points, while Cy’Nara Robinson (McGehee, Ark.) added four, just behind Hughes’ five. Pearl River finished the game on a 26-13 run, securing a 74-51 victory over the Lions. 

LEADING THE WAY
Smith led the way with 22 points, scoring 13 in the second half. She also had six rebounds for the Wildcats. Wilson was close behind, following up a career night last game with 19 points tonight. She also led the team in rebounds with seven. 

Hughes was the third Wildcat to hit double-digits, scoring 10 and hitting the boards for six rebounds. She also had four steals, one behind Robinson, who had five. 

NEXT UP 
The Wildcats take to the road next as they head north to take on Holmes at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The game will be livestreamed at HolmesCCMedia.com.