National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk Men’s basketball team defeated the Central Baptist College Mustangs Tuesday at home 122-98.
The Nighthawks controlled the game from the opening tip. NPC shot a scorching 62 percent from the field in the first half. They jumped out early and took a 69-36 lead into the half.
CBC battled back against the Nighthawk reserves in the second half and cut the lead to 18 with under eight minutes to play. The Nighthawk bench played well down the stretch to make the final score 122-98.
"It was great to be back home and play in front of the home crowd,” said Head Coach Jason Hudnell. “We have had a tough four game road stretch and our players were excited to be back on campus in front of friends and family. It showed in how we started the first half.”
“I was really proud of how we shared the ball tonight, especially in the first half,” Hudnell added. “When we share the basketball and play team defense we are a really tough team to beat. We let our defense slide a little in the second half, but I was glad that we got to play everyone tonight and everyone scored."
Leading scorer for the men was Logan Willett (11) of West Memphis with 22 points, one rebound and one assist. Braylon Steen (24) of Bryant scored 19 points, nine rebounds, and one assist. KJ Corder (13) of Hot Springs earned 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Seth Duke (2) of Gravette earned 15 points, two rebounds, four assists and a steal. Lowell Washington (12) of Bryant added 14 points, five rebounds and one assist. Clyde Ricks (4) of Hope scored nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Westin Church (10) of Pea Ridge added five points, four rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
The Nighthawks are back on the road to wrap up the week. Both the men and the women’s teams will face ASU Mid-South February 15 in West Memphis at 5:30 and 7:30. Saturday they travel to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to play Rhema Bible College at 3 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The games are live streamed at www.xzerosports.com. A complete schedule of games and links to archived broadcasts of games are available at www.np.edu/athletics.
