Thunderbirds Stifle Rattlers
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otero College (7-9, 0-0) | 22 | 34 | 56 |
| New Mexico Junior College (6-7, 0-0) | 29 | 40 | 69 |
Otero College
New Mexico Junior College
| Game Statistics | Otero College | New Mexico Junior College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-64) | (23-69) |
| Field Goal % | 34.4% | 33.3% |
| Rebounds | 36 | 57 |
| Assists | 5 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 25 | 23 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 3 | 24 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 16 | 30 |
Sophomore guard Logan McLaughlin starred for the T-Birds Friday night scoring all 18 of his points from beyond the arc in the 69-56 win over Otero College.
The Thunderbirds started the game trailing 9-6 before gaining control with a 15-0 run to take a 21-9 lead with 9:36 left in the first half. NMJC did not trail for the remainder of the game.
The T-Birds finished the first half with a 29-22 lead. NMJC dominated the second half, leading by as many as 21 points on their way to outscoring the Rattlers 40-34 in the 69-56 win.
Freshman forward Ikenna Ude-Smith scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore Cameron Kimble also had a strong performance for the Thunderbirds scoring 12 points while notching four assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Freshman Center Jeremiah Cherry finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Thunderbirds shot 23-of-69 (33.3%) from the field and were 6-for-30 (20%) from the three-point line in the win. The T-Birds forced 24 turnovers, out-rebounded the Rattlers 57-36, and went 17-for-29 (58.6%) from the charity stripe.
The Thunderbirds move to 7-6 on the year. NMJC will begin the new year playing Ranger College Monday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. CDT in Ranger, TX.