Northeast Mississippi pulled away in the closing minutes in Thursday’s opener, avenging a loss last week to Wallace State. Amber Jackson’s 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining handed the Lady Tigers a four-point lead and they closed out the victory with three free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Wallace State (2-1) nursed a 34-32 advantage at halftime and after multiple ties and lead changes in the second half stretched it to a 64-56 cushion with a little more than three minutes remaining. Northeast Mississippi had the final push though.

Freshman Ashley Nance paced Wallace State offensively with 18 points, Tacouya Allen had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, Lauren Harris had 13 points and six rebounds and Melissa Johnson added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Johnson, a sophomore from Priceville High, helped Wallace State defeat Northeast Mississippi on the road in the Lady Lions’ season opener on Nov. 1, putting in the game-winning layup with 9.1 seconds remaining for a 75-73 victory in coach Ron Burdette’s debut.

Anna Brooke Page led Northeast Mississippi on Thursday, scoring 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Jackson poured in 15 and Kebrina Lucas 10.

Both Wallace State teams travel to Wallace-Selma on Saturday, beginning with the women’s game at 2 p.m. The next home doubleheader is Thursday, Nov. 17 vs. Meridian (Miss.) College.