Posted: Feb 17, 2026
Booneville, MS – Following an upset win over No. 19 nationally ranked Jones on Monday, Northeast split their final two games of the week against Southwest and Northwest with the Tigers taking a 74-72 win over the Bears before falling in the final seconds to the Rangers, 99-95.
Northeast managed to find its shot early over Southwest on Thursday with Zane Tipler cashing in from three to grab hold of the lead over Southwest four minutes into the half. Javion Stephen and Buddy Spearman connected on back-to-back triples a few minutes later to keep the lead alive at 15-12.
Shots kept falling from beyond the arc for the Tigers while an emphatic dunk from Marreon Smith put Northeast in the driver's seat in the first half with a 33-29 lead.
Six straight points for the Tigers out of the break grew their lead to ten despite the Bears continuing to climb back and keep the score close throughout the second half. Stephen made good on a pair from deep while Jalen Chandler scored nine straight points for Northeast to grow the gap back to five with two minutes left.
Southwest managed to even the score with 32 seconds left on the clock to try and send the game into overtime, but a clutch shot from Ezekiel Udozorh helped finish the game in regulation with the Tigers grabbing the win.
Key Stats vs. Southwest:
· Three Tigers reached double figures led by Stephen and Chandler who each scored 20 while Udozorh added on 16.
· Both teams shot even at 43.8 percent from the field with Northeast capitalizing on points in the paint with 32 compared to 26 for the Bears.
· Northeast's largest lead of the game came two minutes into the second half with a 10-point lead while the Bears never led by more than two.
Saturday's matchup against Northwest was another close game between the two rivals. It was a distributed effort for Northeast with five players reaching double figures for the Tigers led by Udozorh who once again went on a heater to keep the score within reach coming down to the final minutes of action.
Tayler Berryhill and Tipler both caught fire from beyond the arc as they combined for seven made threes on the afternoon. The defense for Northeast continued to force turnovers as they snatched up 10 steals to lead to fast break points for the Tigers.
Key Stats vs. Northwest:
· Five Tigers reached double figures in scoring with Udozorh leading the way with 18 while Chandler and Berryhill scored 17 a piece.
· Northeast forced Northwest into 18 turnovers while snatching away 10 steals throughout the contest.
· The Tigers cashed in 11 threes during the contest with a 38-percent clip from beyond the arc led by Tipler, who drained four, while Berryhill connected on three.
Northeast moves to 15-10 overall with a conference record of 5-4 on the 2025-26 season. The Tigers return home to face Mississippi Gulf Coast inside of Bonner Arnold Coliseum with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.