Lady Thunderbirds upset No.1 Odessa College

Article Written by: Jason Farmer NEWS-SUN

Photo Taken by: Tony Baker NMTXsports.com

The New Mexico Junior College women's basketball team picked up a big win Thursday night, knocking off previously undefeated Odessa College, the No.1 team in the country, 74-71.

The game was tied only twice, once at 2-2 and again at 71-71, other than that, the Lady Thunderbirds led the entire way.

NMJC led Odessa by 15 points, 61-46, heading into the final 10 minutes of play, but was outscored 25-13 during the fourth quarter. Leading 71-61 with 3:29 to play, the Lady T-Birds went scoreless as Odessa rallied back with a 10-0 run to tie the game with 41 seconds to play. The Lady Wranglers would not score again though while NMJC's final three points came from the line.

Dezirae Hampton gave NMJC a 72-71 lead with 24 seconds to play while Ashly Perez added a couple of insurance free throws with seven seconds left.

The Lady T-Birds built up an 18-14 lead in the first quarter and then extended the lead to 38-28 at the break. During the third quarter, NMJC pulled away, outscoring Odessa 23-18.

The Lady T-Birds had four players in double figures. Coming in off the bench, Laurynn McGowen had a team high 20 points for the Lady T-Birds. Alarie Mayze finished with 18 points, Daiane Machado scored 13, and Hampton chipped in 11.

With the win, NMJC moves into a first place tie in WJCAC play. Both, NMJC and Odessa College are 7-1 in WJCAC action. Overall NMJC improves to 18-4 while Odessa falls to 19-1.

The Lady T-Birds will be back on the hardwood Monday with a trip to Snyder, Texas where NMJC will play Western Texas College (9-9, 2-5 WJCAC).