No. 18 T-Bird (MBB) Stays Hot, Shocks No. 8 SPC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 44 | 80 |
|
|
39 | 43 | 82 |
Team Stats
South Plains College
| Game Statistics | South Plains College | New Mexico Junior College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-55) | (31-76) |
| Field Goal % | 47.3% | 40.8% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 34 |
| Assists | 13 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 8 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 19 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 30 | 34 |
The Thunderbirds are rolling in conference play earning their seventh straight victory with an 82-80 win over No. 8 South Plains College on Thursday, Feb. 19.
The last time the T-Birds beat South Plains was at home 80-66 on Feb. 13, 2020.
NMJC was off to a blazing start scoring the first 10 points of the game and going ahead 15-2 at the 16:00 mark. RJ Nance hit a jumper with 8:26 to go in the first half to keep the T-Birds ahead 30-18.
South Plains went on an 18-6 tear the rest of the half eventually tying the score at 36 apiece with 20 seconds to go. Kemauri Millender hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to grab a 39-36 lead for NMJC at the break.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with South Plains leading 80-76 with under two minutes to play. Michael Mackey hit a timely 3-pointer to make the score 80-79 SPC with 1:48 left. The next possession Kenny Fields blocked a driving layup by South Plains and took it the other way. A dish by Delang Muon led to a massive go-ahead jam by Ladji Coulibaly. NMJC held the lead 81-80 with 1:12 left in the game.
The Thunderbirds struggled in the final three minutes with free throws as they missed six straight but were still able to hold on 82-80 thanks to their stalwart defense in the final minute.
The T-Birds finished with five players in double figures on Thursday.
Michael Mackey scored a season-high 19 points off the bench knocking down three 3-pointers. Mackey was a incredible on the defensive side snatching four steals during the second half.
Sophomore Delang Muon scored 11 points and grabbed five assists. RJ Nance also scored 11 points. Kemauri Millender and Ladji Coulibaly notched 10 points. Millender added four steals while Coulibaly finished with five rebounds.
Grigorije Avramovic dished out six assists and registered six points. Garrison Phelps recorded seven points and five rebounds.
The T-Birds shot 31-for-76 (40.8%) from the field, 7-of-28 (25%) from the 3-point line, and 13-of-21 (61.9%) from the free throw line. NMJC forced 20 turnovers in the game.
The T-Birds (9-3) are second in the WJCAC standings, trailing Howard (10-2).
The No. 18 Thunderbirds improve to 22-4 (9-3) on the year and will face No. 13 Midland College in Midland, Texas Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. CST.
