T-Bird (MBB) Comeback Falls Short vs. No. 12 SPC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
30 | 52 | 82 |
|
|
48 | 39 | 87 |
Team Stats
South Plains College
| Game Statistics | New Mexico Junior College | South Plains College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (28-72) | (28-56) |
| Field Goal % | 38.9% | 50.0% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 33 |
| Assists | 17 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 9 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 24 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 0 |
The No. 22 ranked NMJC men's basketball team's 19-point comeback came up short against No. 12 South Plains.
SPC defeated the T-Birds 87-82 despite a monster second-half performance by NMJC.
The T-Birds were stout at the beginning of the first half trailing by one point, 18-17 at the 11:19 mark. South Plains caught fire offensively the rest of the half, outscoring the T-Birds 30-13 over that stretch to lead 48-30.
NMJC was off to a great start in the first four minutes of the second half. They cut the lead to single digits, 55-46, after a Francois Nkoy-Eale bucket. The Texans looked like they pulled away when the team went on a run and held the largest lead of the game at 19 points, 74-55, with 9:26 remaining.
The T-Birds countered with a ferocious 21-5 run over the next six minutes to make the game one possession, 79-76, with 3:44 to go. Sophomore RJ Nance poured in 15 second half points including an unbelievable 25-foot contested 3-pointer to tie the game at 81 apiece with 2:43 to go.
Michael Mackey took the lead for the T-Birds, 82-81, with a free throw at the 1:39 mark. It was the first lead for NMJC since the 13:23 mark of the first half. South Plains made six free throws and held NMJC scoreless the rest of the game to win 87-82. During the comeback in the second half, the Thunderbirds shot 45.9% from the field and made nine 3-pointers.
RJ Nance led the team in scoring on Monday with 23 points after shooting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Delang Muon recorded his first double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Guard Grigorije Avramovic notched 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore Kemauri Millender posted 11 points while Kenny Fields added nine points.
Michael Mackey recorded seven points and six rebounds. Francois Nkoy-Eale finished with seven points and six rebounds.
The T-Birds shot 28-for-72 (38.9%) from the field, 13-of-43 (30.2%) from the 3-point line, and 13-of-18 (72.2%) from the free throw line.
The No. 22 Thunderbirds drop to 15-3 (2-2) on the year and will face Midland College in Hobbs, NM Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. MST.
