DECATUR — Paced by Miracle Rushing’s 16 second-half points, the East Central Community College Lady Warriors held on to defeat East Mississippi Community College 73-62 Tuesday night and avenge an early season loss to the Lady Lions.

The Lady Warriors broke open a close game with a 12-4 run to start the second period and took a 12-point lead into the locker room at the half. East Central stretched its lead to 15 at 49-34 midway through the third period, before the Lady Lions closed to within five, 50-45, with 2:43 left in the period.

Rushing, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Meridian High School, scored six straight points in a pivotal fourth period 21-8 East Central spurt that gave the Lady Warriors their largest lead of the game at 71-54. The visiting Lady Lions scored eight of the game’s last 10 points to pull the final margin to 73-62 in favor of East Central.

Alexia McDonald added 23 points and 10 rebounds for East Central. The 5-10 guard out of Petal High School is averaging nearly 27 points in her last five games.

Guard Ki-Ki Patterson out of Columbus High School scored 22 points to pace East Mississippi. She had 31 in the first meeting between the two teams. Quantesha Patterson out of East Webster High School pulled down 10 rebounds for the Lady Lions. Camy Jones added 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Tianna Germain tallied 11 points.

East Mississippi turned the ball over 18 times in the first half and 24 times for the game, to East Central’s 13 turnovers.

The teams met in November on the campus of East Mississippi in Scooba, with the Lady Lions winning 84-75.

The East Central Lady Warriors improved to 8-2 on the season with the win. The East Mississippi Lady Lions fell to 6-2.

In the nightcap, it was the East Mississippi Lions in control from the opening tip as they swept the season series from the East Central Warriors with an 88-71 win.

The Lions, who won the first meeting back on Nov. 12 73-64, improved to 9-1 on the year. The East Central Warriors fell to 5-5.

East Mississippi scored the first eight points of the game and led by as many as 22 in a first half where they shot 65 percent from the floor to East Central’s 37 percent. The closest the Warriors would come in the contest was three minutes into the game when they trailed 8-3.

The Lions extended their lead to 23 with 12:46 to go in the game. Three times East Central cut the lead to 10 points, the latest with 3:31 to play. The physical contest saw four technical fouls called in the second half, three on East Central players.

East Mississippi’s Jahyde Gardiner, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Philadelphia, Pa., scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Lions. He scored 29 points in the first meeting of the season.

Nat Dixon scored 17 points for East Mississippi, and Anterio McKines, Juan Davis Jr. and Daniel Simmons each had 11 for the Lion.

Forward Derrick Dandridge of White Station High School (Memphis, Tenn.) and guard Ravion Henry of Leake Central High School both had 15 to lead East Central.

The East Central men and women return to action Thursday when they host Baton Rouge Community College in Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium in games that tip off at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

East Mississippi is back home to face Meridian Community College Thursday. Women’s action begins at 5:30 p.m., and the men’s game follows at 7:30 p.m.