UTICA—So close and yet so far.

The CCC Lady Tigers fought ferociously but fell just a little short in their comeback attempt vs. Hinds CC in Utica Thursday night, dropping the contest 51-50. The loss was the ninth of the season for the Lady Tigers. They now stand at 1-6 in MACJC play. 

The two teams played each other close in a competitive, albeit low-scoring, first half. The Lady Bulldogs seized a lead toward the end of the period and built a 7-point advantage with just over one second remaining. But a buzzer-beating three by Amber Sisk off an inbounds play reduced the margin to  just four heading into the locker room.

The second half was another tight one. CCC rode a strong performance by Erica Collins, who surged in the second half on her way to finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Once again, Amber Sisk stepped up big in the waning moments, knocking down key free throws with just under two minutes to go and then nailing a huge three in the final 1:20 to tie the game up.

With 59 seconds to go, Collins was cited for a pushing foul against Hinds' Felicia Guynes. The controversial call gave Guynes the opportunity to reclaim the lead for HCC and sent Collins, the Lady Tigers' most dominant player this season, to the bench with five personals.

Guynes succeeded, at least partially, going 1-of-2 from the stripe to make it 51-50. The Lady Tigers nearly took the lead on the next possession when Shontrel Williams netted a pull-up jumper in the lane that was waved off because of travelling.

Still trailing by one, CCC got a golden opportunity to win the game on their final push down the floor. After failing to get a clean shot off, CCC got a huge reprieve when the ball went out of bounds off Hinds under the hoop with less than 5 seconds to go. After a Hinds timeout, Josta Totten inbounded to Shontrel Williams, who found Amber Sisk. Unfortunately though, there would be no more magic for the Lady Tigers, as Sisk's three as time expired fell a little short, giving the win to the Lady Bulldogs.

This was the second time that the two squads have met this season. CCC defeated the Lady Bulldogs 79-53 in Clarksdale on November 6th. The Hinds team, eager to avenge that loss, used 9-point games from Tyquisha Naylor, Te'Ara Thompson, and Tiana Roby to ultimately pull off the upset.

As a team, the Lady Tigers shot just 13-of-36 from the free throw line, but were much better around the hoop. They outscored Hinds 22-14 in the paint and 14-5 on second chance points.

Collins' double-double was her fourth of the season. Sisk, who played all 40 minutes, finished with 8 points and 4 steals. 

The Lady Tigers return to action January 15th at home vs. East Mississippi Community College. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

A live stream will be available on coahomasports.com.

For photos from the game vs. Hinds CC, please click HERE.