NMJC women, men win big
JASON FARMER
Tuesday January 22, 2019
With a hand in her face, Thamires Andrade shoots the ball for NMJC during a home game last week. Andrade had 15 points for the Lady T-Birds Monday night in an 83-52 win over Frank Phillips College.
Though the scoreboard showed a blowout, Monday night's game between the New Mexico Junior College women's basketball team and Frank Phillips College was actually close, through three quarters of play. It wasn't until the final 10 minutes that the Lady Thunderbirds really took control of the game and sent the home crowd home disappointed with a 30-point victory.
"We had several leads, but we just never put them away until late," NMJC coach Drew Sanders said. "We had a 16-point lead in the first half and 16-point leads in the third quarter, but we let them make a run."
The Lady T-Birds opened up with a big offense and a tight defense. NMJC poured in 21 points in the first 10 minutes while holding Frank Phillips College to just 11 points. However, the hot start didn't last. In fact, the Lady Plainsmen outscored NMJC 21-19 in the second quarter, sending the Lady T-Birds into the break with a 40-32 lead.
Scoring slowed a bit in the third quarter. NMJC was able to push its lead back to 10 points, like in the first quarter, as it stayed one bucket ahead of the Lady Plainsmen in the scoring column. NMJC had 16 points in the third to Frank Phillips 14.
Leading 56-46 to start the final 10 minutes of play, the game could have gone either way. However, the Lady T-Birds put on a scoring clinic and exhibited a defensive that showed they wanted the win. NMJC scored 27 points over the final 10 minutes while Frank Phillips mustered just one three-pointer and three free throws.
The Lady T-Birds had four players in double figure scoring, three starters and one reserve. Thamires Andrade and Robin Beck each had 15 points for NMJC while Jurnee President chipped in 12.
Laci Hawthorne added seven points and 10 rebounds in a starting role while Mayra Caicedo had eight points to go with four assists and three steals.
Back from a recent bought with sickness that prevented her from playing Clarendon College last week, Eternati Willock was back on the court Monday night. She finished with a team-high 17 points while playing 22 minutes off the bench.
As for the rest of the reserves, they accounted for just nine points over 32 minutes. Bryana Langford had five points while Brenda Costa and Hobbs graduate Amaya Lewis each had a bucket. Lewis also contributed four rebounds and two assists for the Lady T-Birds.
With the win, NMJC improves to 16-3 on the season and 4-1 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play. The Lady T-Birds will be back in action Thursday when they host Odessa College at Caster Activity Center. Tipoff is slated for 5:45 p.m.
T-Birds back in win column
The New Mexico Junior College men's basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak with a convincing win over Frank Phillips College. The T-Birds won 83-55.
Over the first half of play, scoring was close. It was just a two-point game. NMJC scored 28 points while the Plainsmen countered with 26. However, the momentum shifted in NMJC's favor in the second half. The T-Birds nearly scored twice as many points as the Plainsmen. NMJC poured in 55 points in the second half while holding Frank Phillips to just 29 points.
Every member of the T-Birds scored in the win. Three players, all starters, finished in double figures for NMJC. Darnell Rogers led all players in scoring, finishing with 23 points. Hall Elisias chipped in 15 while Gideon George had 13.
Mohammad Jafari had nine points while Malik Mooving, Dimitri Diara, and Hobbs graduate Clay Strasner each finished with seven. Jeremiah Chandler added a bucket for the T-Birds.
With the win, NMJC improves to 14-6 on the season and is back at .500 (3-3) in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play. The T-Birds will be back on the Caster Activity Center hardwood Thursday when they host Odessa College in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.