Howard White Jr. likes what he sees on the court.
The only thing the Mississippi University for Women’s women’s basketball coach wants his team to do is to cut down its turnovers.
On a night when four players scored in double figures and two had double-digit rebounds, the number on the final box score hat stood out to White Jr. following his team’s 84-66 victory against Tougaloo on Tuesday night was 21 turnovers.
“We don’t turn the ball over we’re OK,” White Jr. said. “We’re a pretty good team. When we started to turn the ball over, that’s when they started to come back.”
The W (5-1) overcame their mistakes thanks to a balanced scoring attack led by former Columbus High School standout Rokila Wallace (game-high 24 points, five rebounds, six assists, four steals). Tenazhia Hinkson had 19 points and nine rebounds, while former West Point High standout Qiayon Bailey had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Brandy Harris had 11 points, and Keyahna Harris had eight points and 11 rebounds.
The Owls had seven of their turnovers in the first 10 minutes. They also committed seven more turnovers in the third quarter, but a strong shooting night (52.7 percent, 29-for-55) offset stretches that saw the Owls play a little loose with the basketball. The Bulldogs’ pressure had something to do with the turnovers, but the Owls handled the trapping when they slowed down, took their time, and attacked the basket. As a result, the Owls were 22-for-34 from the free-throw line (64.7 percent), which is a number White wants to see well above 70 percent.
White Jr. also would like to see Wallace (six turnovers) and Hinkson (five) take better care of the basketball. Now that the Owls have settled into a rotation, Wallace and Hinkson, who both started and played 35 minutes, figure to be fixtures in the lineup, so they will be counted on to make each possession count.
The W led 48-26 on a dive by Bailey with 6 minutes, 8 seconds to go in the third quarter. Tougaloo (1-2) cut that deficit to 59-44 by the end of the third quarter. The Bulldogs closed to within 67-60 with 4:03 to play, but the Owls used a 12-0 run in a span of 2:17 to put the game away.
“I like a lot of what we showed tonight. I just didn’t like the 21 turnovers,” White Jr. said. “I didn’t like the percentage from the free-throw line. We shoot a lot of free throws because we attack a lot. … I think they have bought into how we need to play, so they take it upon themselves to be in attack mode.”
Judging from the first time The W faced Tougaloo — an 84-72 loss in an exhibition game on Nov. 3 — it’s apparent the Owls have made strides. Hinkson said cutting down on the turnovers will be a point of emphasis moving forward.
“(Coach White Jr.) talks all the time about cutting down on our turnovers,” Hinkson said. “For the most part, the turnovers are really are biggest problem. As the season progresses, we’ll get better with that.”
Hinkson said the Owls are still learning each other, but she has confidence things will look even better when she said the games “really matter” and The W advances to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Nationals.
“I think we have a good team overall,” Hinkson said. “We have a lot of people who can come off the bench and contribute as well. I think as the season progresses they will get more time in the game so they will be able to produce more.”
In the nightcap, Tonzell Handy had a game-highs of 18 points and 26 rebounds to lead the Tougaloo College men to a 74-48 victory against The W.
The Bulldogs (7-2) used a 10-0 run to take a 20-13 lead with 6:52 to go in the first half. Tougaloo led 32-23 at halftime. The Owls (1-6) shot 29 percent (9-for-31) in the first 20 minutes.
Tougaloo pushed its lead to as many as 17 before The W cut the deficit to 44-33 on a layup by former Starkville High School standout Josh Skinner (10- points). But that was as close as the Owls could get. The Bulldogs extended the margin to 59-39 on a three-point play by Handy with 8:39 remaining.
Kourey Davis and Stanley Williams had 16 points for Tougaloo.
DJ Clark led The W with 17 points and seven rebounds. Former Starkville High standout Keith Harris had five points and seven rebounds, while former Victory Christian Academy standout Quin Williams had four points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The W women will play host to Rust College at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pohl Gymnasium.
The W men will return to action at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, against Bethel University in McKenzie Tennessee.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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