Lady T-Birds head to NJCAA National Tournament
NMJC is the fourth seed, play 6:30 p.m. (CST) Tuesday
HOBBS, N.M. — The New Mexico Junior College women's basketball team is making its third trip in four years to the NJCAA National Tournament, this time as a No. 4 seed as the Lady Thunderbirds open play 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of No. 13 Wabash Valley and No. 20 Itawamba at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kan.
NMJC (28-3) reached the national tournament after winning the Region V Tournament March 4-7 in Brownwood, Texas – defeating Weatherford (73-67), Midland College (56-54) and Western Texas (65-52).
The Lady T-Birds enter the tournament led by WJCAC MVP Angelica de Paulo. The 6-foot-1 sophomore leads the Lady T-Birds in scoring (16.2) and rebounding (6.2) and is second on the team with 33 blocks. Her 677 career points is 15th on the NMJC all-time scoring list and her 485 points this season is fifth in NMJC single-season history.
Also in double figures in scoring for NMJC is Kelsey Criner at 12.3 points per game. The 5-foot-7 guard leads the team with 89 steals (tied for fifth in NMJC single-season history) and is second in assists (3.5).
Utah State-commit Antoina Robinson is third on the Lady T-Birds in scoring at 9.0 points per game, third in rebounding (5.0) and leads the team in blocks (2.6). The 6-foot-2 sophomore's 74 blocks is one shy of the school record of 75 set by Eva Vodrazkova in the 2002-03 season.
NMJC, which won its fourth consecutive Western Junior College Athletic Conference title, has three more players averaging at least 7.4 points per game in Viktoriia Kotilevskaia (7.8), Nycolle Smith (7.5) and WJCAC Freshman of the Year Alana da Silva (7.4). Smith is also third in rebounding while da Silva leads NMJC in assists (4.0) and second in steals (2.6).
As a team, NMJC finished second in the conference in scoring (74.3) and first in points allowed (50.8). The Lady T-Birds were also first in field goal percentage (44.3) and field goal percentage defense (29.0).
In NMJC's first ever trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in 2012 (before it was changed to a single-elimination event), the Lady T-Birds went 3-1 and took fifth place.
Last season the Lady T-Birds as the No. 15 seed lost to No. 18 ASA College of Excellence in the first round, bringing its all-time NJCAA Tournament record to 3-2.
NMJC will find out its opponent for Tuesday's game after Wabash Valley and Itawamba play 2 p.m. Monday.