T-Birds win at home

The New Mexico Junior College men's basketball team got back in the win column Monday night when the T-Birds beat Clarendon College 88-68 at Caster Activity Center.

The Thunderbirds trailed just two times in the game. Clarendon scored the game's first points on a layup with 1:38 into the game, but NMJC tied the game 30 seconds later. The T-Birds then took a 4-2 lead, only to lose when Clarendon's Xavier Trent was fouled on a bucket that tied the game at 4-4. Trent made his free throw, giving Clarendon a 5-4 lead with 17:01 left in the half.

The T-Birds wouldn't trail again.

During the next 17 minutes, NMJC dropped in 37 points while allowing just 22 to take a 41-27 lead at the break. NMJC scored another 47 points in the second half while extending its lead. The T-Birds' defense did have some lapses in the second half as Clarendon scored 41 points during the final 20 minutes.

Damontrez Hawes led all scorers with a game-high 23 points. Paul Williams chipped in 17 and Marcell Haskett finished with 16. Franklyn Penn Jr. finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. He had a chance to record a double-double, but a missed free through cost him. DeVale Johnson, Antonio Morales, Tavion Robinson, David Iwowaro, and Jacob Bodin all contributed in the scoring column for the T-Birds.

With the win, NMJC improves to 15-12 on the season and 4-9 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play. Next up for the T-Birds is a road trip to Frank Phillips College on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.