NMJC (MBB) Earns 20th Win for 2nd Straight Year, Greg Brown Jr. Enters WJCAC HOF
The No. 25 ranked NMJC men's basketball team earned a decisive 70-67 win over No. 21 Odessa College on Thursday night.
NMJC was locked in a tight one in the first half with the score tied at 18 when T-Bird guard Armon Jarrard hit a three-pointer to break the deadlock and give the T-Birds the 21-18 lead with 7:30 left in the half.
The T-Birds went into the break with a 33-25 advantage over the Wranglers.
NMJC led by 13 points, 48-35, following a Melian Martinez dunk with 11:24 left in the second half. Odessa began chipping away at the lead over the next five minutes. The Wranglers went on a 22-8 run to snatch a 57-56 lead with 5:52 left in the contest.
NMJC trailed 62-58 at the 4:45 mark following a layup by Odessa's Anthony Simo to bring the lead to four. Then, Jannoy Thomas arrived. The T-Bird sophomore guard scored 10 points in a row including a pivotal three-point play to give NMJC a 68-65 lead with 52 seconds left.
The Thunderbirds clung to a three-point lead, 70-67, with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Odessa's JD Bradford had two wide open looks to tie the game but was unable to convert which secured a T-Bird ranked victory.
Wing Isaiah Alexander finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Amhad Jarrard recorded 11 points and three assists. Jannoy Thomas finished the night with 12 points.
The T-Birds shot 27-for-74 (36.5%) from the field, 14-of-40 (35%) from the 3-point line, and 15-of-23 (65.2%) from the charity stripe. NMJC forced 19 turnovers.
Thursday night's game featured eight lead changes and nine ties. The conference win was even more special as the T-Birds welcomed the late Greg Brown Jr. (1990-92) into the WJCAC Hall of Fame.
The Thunderbirds are tied for fourth place in the WJCAC standings with Odessa College at 6-5 behind first place South Plains at 9-2, Midland at 8-2, and Frank Phillips at 7-3.
The T-Birds improve 20-5 (6-5) and will play Howard College 16-9 (4-7) in Big Spring, TX Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. CST.
