Nighthawks Fall On Homecoming

Logan Keener, NPC Nighthawk, puttiing up a basket against NorthArk.The National Park College Nighthawk basketball teams dropped both homecoming games to North Arkansas College Saturday, with the Nighthawk women falling, 85-60, and the Nighthawk men losing, 110-102.

In the women’s game, National Park College (3-10) traded blows with the nationally-ranked Lady Pioneers early, utilizing big three-pointers from sophomores Bailey Womack (Fountain Lake) and Hailee Crosby (Mountain Pine). The Nighthawk shooters would grow cold over the last four minutes of the first quarter, however, allowing a 6-0 run to the Lady Pioneers and trailing, 19-11, at the break. In the second quarter, North Arkansas College utilized its deep bench in an explosive effort, extending the lead to 20 points at halftime, 46-26.

In the second half, the Nighthawks fought hard to attempt the comeback, enjoying 12- and 9- point efforts from Womack and freshman Logan Keener (Lake Hamilton), but ultimately could not overcome the margin.

Womack led the Nighthawks in scoring with 17 points, including eight-of-eight free throws. Sophomore Faith Bratton (Jessieville) added 12 points, Keener scored 11 points in the loss.

In a physical men’s contest, the Nighthawks (11-4) faced foul trouble early, forcing National Park College to utilize its deep bench for the majority of the first half. Riding a 20-point wave from freshman Patrick Greene (Little Rock Mills) and a 12-point half from sophomore Braylon Steen (Bryant), the Nighthawks built a double-digit lead against the Pioneers, but an 11-0 run from North Arkansas College over the final two minutes of the half gave the visiting team a 56-54 lead headed into halftime.

KJ Corder, NPC Nighthawk, up against Pioneers defense.In the second half, North Arkansas College kept its momentum, building a 10-point lead within the first 10 minutes of the half. The Nighthawks kept it close behind a season-best performance from sophomore Preston Crowder (Arkadelphia) and a 21-point half from Greene, but it wasn’t enough for the Nighthawks to overcome the deficit, falling to the Pioneers for the second time this season.

Greene led the Nighthawks in scoring with 41 points. Crowder added 20 points while Steen and sophomore KJ Corder (Hot Springs) amassed 16 and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.

The Nighthawk men play host to East Texas Baptist University today at 7 p.m. at “The Kettle” at National Park College in Hot Springs. XZero Sports will stream the game live at www.xzerosports.com. The Nighthawk women return to action Feb. 6 for sophomore night against Crowder College.

For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit www.np.edu/basketball. Visit NJCAA Division II team stats for up-to-date NJCAA statistics on the Nighthawks. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.

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