MERIDIAN, Miss. – Meridian Community College Lady Eagles delivered a statement win on their home court Monday night, defeating a tough Itawamba squad 74-66 in an overtime battle.

The Lady Eagles (13-11, 5-4) came out firing, opening the game on a dominant 14-0 run and holding the Lady Indians (16-5, 6-2) scoreless from the field in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles' defense stifled Itawamba early, allowing only three points in the quarter—all from the free-throw line—to take a 14-3 lead into the second quarter.

Itawamba responded with resilience, chipping away at the deficit to close the gap by halftime. The Lady Eagles held a slim 30-26 advantage at the break, setting the stage for a back-and-forth second half.

ICC took its first lead of the night at the 7:40 mark of the third quarter, going up 32-31 and maintaining control for much of the second half. With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Lady Eagles found themselves trailing, but freshman forward Terica Smith delivered in the clutch, sinking a game-tying shot in the final seconds to send the contest to overtime at 56-all.

MCC capitalized on the momentum in the overtime, knocking down key three-pointers from Annearrea Ducksworth and Nataysia Willis to pull away from Itawamba. The Lady Eagles outscored ICC 18-10 in overtime to seal the victory.

Ducksworth led the offensive charge with a team-high 18 points, while Timia Washington added 13 and Halei Keyes finished with 11.

The Lady Eagles will look to build on their momentum when they travel to Mississippi Gulf Coast on Monday, February 17th for another crucial conference matchup.