T-Bird (WBB) Earns 5th Ranked Win

No. 4 NMJC took down No. 18 Odessa College 68-56 on Monday night to earn their fifth ranked win of the season.

Coach Mefford's squad is now 5-for-6 against ranked teams with their only loss coming against No. 9 South Plains.

The T-Birds could not have asked for a better start to the game against No. 18 Odessa when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the 7:10 mark. Unfortunately, that feeling was short lived as Odessa countered with a 17-1 run to make the score 17-11 with 2:24 to go in the quarter. Amyah Sutton brought the T-Birds back into the fold when she tied the score up at 17 all following back-to-back 3-pointers with under a minute left in the first. 

The T-Birds outscored the Wranglers in the second quarter 18-10 on their way to an eight-point lead 35-27 at the break. Sophomore guard Fatime Seck gave NMJC a spark in the second quarter knocking down two 3-pointers. 

Odessa grinded their way back into the game in the third quarter going on an 8-0 run to start the second half which tied the game up at 35 apiece with 7:18 to go in the quarter. NMJC refused to give the lead back to Wranglers and ended the period with a 52-43 advantage. 

Odessa was held in check in the fourth quarter with the T-Birds defense limiting the Wranglers to 27.3%. Fatime Seck hit two more triples in the fourth to finish with a career-high 15 points and a career-high five made 3-pointers. 

Amyah Sutton went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line to finish with a team-high 19 points. Cacia Antonio recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the 12-point win. Sophomore forward Pania Davis posted 11 rebounds while guard Jada Graves tallied six assists.

The T-Birds shot 20-for-57 (35.1%) from the field, 9-for-21 (42.9%) from the 3-point line, and 19-of-24 (79.2%) from the charity stripe. The Thunderbirds forced 23 turnovers and held the Wranglers to 29.8% from the field and 25% from the three-point line.  

The No. 4 Thunderbirds move to 17-1 (2-1) and will face Howard College 8-8 (0-2) in Hobbs, NM on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 5:45 p.m. MST.