Thunderbirds storm past Clarendon, 96-63
Russo paces NMJC with 25 points, Trent adds 13
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
30 | 33 | 63 |
|
|
38 | 58 | 96 |
Team Stats
Clarendon College
| Game Statistics | Clarendon College | New Mexico Junior College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-52) | (32-68) |
| Field Goal % | 38.5% | 47.1% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 44 |
| Assists | 10 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 26 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 24 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 62 |
HOBBS, N.M. — The New Mexico Junior College men's basketball team trailed a hot shooting Clarendon squad 30-24 with 6:25 remaining in the first half after the Bulldogs' fifth 3-pointer of the opening 14 minutes.
However, the Thunderbirds' defense stiffened over the next six minutes and ended the half on a 13-0 run to help push NMJC to a 96-63 victory Monday at Caster Activity Center.
The victory is the T-Birds' fourth straight as they move to 5-3 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference and to 17-6 overall. NMJC sits in third place by itself in the conference, two games back of South Plains and Howard College, after starting WJCAC play 0-2.
"I feel like the guys have really battled over the last month," NMJC coach James Miller said. "We've taken baby steps to move forward and have really given ourselves a chance now."
The T-Birds' turnaround Monday night started with a pair of Rene Esparza free throws with 6:16 left in the first half to make it 30-26 Clarendon (4-17, 1-7).
Nick Billingsley kept the run going with a 3-pointer followed by Cullen Russo splitting a pair of free throws to tie the game 30-30 with 4:29 left.
A tip in by Billingsley with 3:01 left gave NMJC the lead for what turned out to be for good at 32-30. Another Billinglsey 3-pointer highlighted the rest of the run as the T-Birds took a 38-30 lead into the break.
NMJC dominated the second half, outscoring Clarendon 58-33 as the 6-foot-9 Russo controlled the inside and scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes. The sophomore also added seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
"Cullen from the start of the game was ready to play," Miller said. "When you are as big and talented as he is, if he plays with that kind of energy the entire time he's on the floor, he's a pretty darn good player. It was probably his best game as a T-Bird."
Malique Trent finished with 13 points for NMJC while Ruben Macias and Billingsley each had nine.
Johnnie Brown, Marcus Ellison and D'Tavian Walker each had 10 points to lead Clarendon.
NMJC hosts Frank Phillips 7:45 p.m. Thursday.