Thunderbirds Fall Short to Hawks

Freshman center Jeremiah Cherry recorded his third double-double of the season scoring 21 points and adding 11 rebounds for NMJC in the 77-66 loss to Howard College.

The T-Birds trailed by eight at the half 40-32. Sophomore guard Josh Nwankwo brought the T-Birds within striking distance after hitting back-to-back three-pointers to make the score 48-45 with 13:30 to go. Three points would turn out to be the closest margin the Thunderbirds could reach in the second half.

NMJC trailed by 19 points, 67-48, with 5:53 left. The T-Bird went on a 14-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the lead to seven points, 69-62. Sophomore Mo Kora hit a jumper to bring NMJC within seven points again, 73-66, with 1:03 remaining but it was not enough as the T-Birds came up short 77-66.  

Guard Logan McLaughlin finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Sophomore guard Cameron Kimble added nine points. Josh Nwankwo finished with 10 points and eight boards.

The T-Birds shot 25-of-65 (38.5%) from the field, 6-for-33 (18.2%) from the three-point line, and 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the charity stripe in the loss to the Hawks.

The Thunderbirds slip to 10-10 on the year and 3-3 in conference. NMJC will play Frank Phillips College Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3:45 p.m. MDT in Borger, Texas.