Thunderbirds Down Top Ranked Collin  

Danna Grenald had one of her best games in a Thunderbird uniform Friday night as she scored 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe in the 65-62 win over No. 7 Collin College. 

The sophomore forward picked up her fourth double-double of the season after hauling in 11 rebounds in the win.

"Danna was just clutch. She hit free throws when we needed them. I don't know how many in a row she had there late down the stretch, but she showed why she is an ACC player," Mefford said. "Danna found a way to fight through it, get out of the traps and make enough plays to get us baskets or get to the free throw line in order for us to win."  

The Thunderbirds played well in the first quarter and managed to take a 13-11 lead into the second quarter. NMJC continued its impressive play in the second quarter by outscoring the Cougars 20-16. 

The T-Birds entered the half with a 33-27 lead. Friday was the first time Collin College trailed at the half all season. 

The Thunderbirds controlled the third quarter by expanding on their lead by four to take a substantial 10-point lead, 51-41, as they approached the start of the fourth.

The first half of the fourth quarter went as advertised with the T-Birds leading by 13 points, 63-50, with 4:20 remaining in the game. Collin turned up the heat from there by going on a 12-2 run in the final four minutes of play to trail 65-62 with the ball and 10 seconds to go in the game. 

The T-Birds engaged in stout defense on the final possession and forced a miss by the Cougars as the clock expired.  

Guard Delma Zita recorded 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the win over the Cougars. Sophomore Madina Camara chipped in 12 points. Bianca Juzzo started the first half off hot from the midrange. Juzzo would finish the game with nine points and seven rebounds.

"Well there was no quit, we got ahead tonight by ten there at the end and Collin never quit tonight the whole time," Mefford said. "I've got to give it to our sophomores. They handled the ball late and made enough plays." 

How well the team performs starts on the defensive side, Mefford said.

"We're the best team in the country defensively and when we play defense for 40 minutes nobody can beat us," Mefford said. "That's kind of our M.O. right now. If we'll guard and defend the way we can, not many people can beat us." 

The T-Birds shot 23-of-49 (46.9%) from the field, 2-for-8 (25%) from the three-point line, 17-of-27 (63%) from the charity stripe but turned the ball over 30 times in the game.

NMJC is now 24-5 overall and will face South Plains College in the Championship of the Region V Tournament Saturday, March 11 at 4:30 p.m. CDT.