WESSON, Miss. — The Pearl River men’s basketball team had the lead in the second half but couldn’t hold on against Copiah-Lincoln, falling 82-79. The loss snaps a streak of 18 consecutive victories over the Wolves.

FIRST HALF

Copiah-Lincoln (11-5 overall; 5-2 MACCC) had the early advantage until Ayub Nurhussein (Hamilton, Ontario.; Toronto Basketball Academy) knocked down a 3-pointer with 14:51 remaining in the half to put the Wildcats (12-6; 4-4) ahead 7-6.

CLCC went on a quick 5-point run to take a 12-7 lead before Pearl River clawed it’s way back in front again. Dylan Brumfield (Oak Grove) drew a foul and went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Carlos Williams (Hattiesburg; Harrison Central) followed it up with back-to-back jumpers to make the score 13-12.

The Wolves went up by as much as six points twice down the stretch at 19-13 and 24-18. The Wildcats finally retook the lead with 4:06 remaining as Williams had a perfect trip to the line. The free throws were followed by a step-back jumper from Nurhussein, which stretched the PRCC lead to 30-27.

The teams continued their battle over the last few minutes of the half and the Wildcats headed into the break with a slim 38-37 advantage.

SECOND HALF

The Wildcats built a 47-42 lead with 17:30 remaining as Williams spun away from a defender and knocked down a fadeaway jumper.

At the 14:20 mark, PRCC extended its lead to seven points at 52-45 when Brumfield dashed inside, quickly pulled up, and banked a jumper off the backboard and into the basket. Brumfield picked up another basket afterward as he drove through traffic and laid a ball up and in. CLCC converted an and-one opportunity on its next possession to tie things up, 56-56.

Brumfield continued his takeover with PRCC trailing 63-58 as the sophomore knocked down a layup through heavy contact. Cam Brown (Hattiesburg) followed him up on the next play with a layup of his own and cut the PRCC deficit to one point, 63-62.

The Wildcats had numerous chances to take the lead down the stretch, but nearly every PRCC basket was matched by a Copiah-Lincoln basket.

Pearl River found itself down 82-79 with four seconds left to play, but a half-court heave from Williams didn’t fall.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Brumfield and Williams tied for the team lead in points with 21. Nurhussein finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Brown rounded out those in double figures with 11 points. Dillion Redmond (Jackson; Callaway) led the Wildcats in rebounds with seven. Brumfield and Preston Turner (Laurel; West Jones) each had six boards.

NEXT UP

Pearl River returns to action Thursday as East Mississippi makes the trip to Marvin R. White Coliseum. Tipoff against the Lions is set for 6 p.m.

CASHLESS BOX OFFICE 

To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.

TUNE IN 

Pearl River live streams all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the “Pearl River CC” channel from their app stores.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).