The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s and women’s basketball teams closed out the 2019 calendar year with games in Oklahoma over the weekend, with the Nighthawk women falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 68-63, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma Friday and the Nighthawk men defeating Rhema Bible College, 106-101, in Brown Arrow, Oklahoma Saturday.
After falling behind, 5-0, to start the game, the Nighthawk women (4-4) erupted on a 16-3 run in the opening act, led by nine first-quarter points from freshman Nya Moody (Lake Hamilton) and a strong defensive press. NPC stuck to the same defensive game plan in the second quarter, allowing just four field goals, while freshman Imani Honey (Hot Springs) paced the Nighthawks to a 27-20 halftime lead with nine second-quarter points.
In the third quarter, the Nighthawks’ shooting cooled considerably, allowing Oklahoma Wesleyan to knot the game at 42 by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles surged to a 18-4 run out of the gate, taking a commanding lead. Behind 15 fourth-quarter points from Honey, the Nighthawks would make a strong push over the game’s final four minutes, but ultimately could not overcome the deficit.
Honey led the Nighthawks in scoring with 35 points. Moody added 11 in the loss.
In men’s action, after trading leads early in the contest, the Nighthawk Men (6-4) turned up its defense, outpacing the Eagles in the paint and forcing Rhema to take difficult shots from three-point range to keep up. Led by an 18-point first-half effort from freshman Joe Ramey (El Dorado), NPC cruised to a 51-38 lead at the halftime break.
Shortly after boosting their lead to 20 points in the second half, the Nighthawks would lose their rhythm, allowing the Eagles to stage a comeback. Capitalizing on turnovers and hot three-point shooting, the Eagles cut the deficit to just one point in the game’s final two minutes. Unwilling to give up the lead, however, a key three-pointer from sophomore David Jagers (Mayflower) and fearless in-the-paint shooting from Ramey would silence Rhema en route to NPC’s fifth-consecutive victory.
Ramey led all scorers with 39 points. Jagers (Mayflower) and sophomore Reyhan Cobb (Decatur, Ga.) scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, while freshmen Terry Clardy Jr. (Conway) and Kamryn Vick (Little Rock) added 14 and 10 points in the win.
The Nighthawk men and women return to action Saturday, Jan. 11 for homecoming against ASU Mid-South, with the women tipping off at 2 p.m. and the men playing at 4 p.m. XZero Sports will stream the games live at www.xzerosports.com.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit www.np.edu/basketball. Visit Nighthawk Men stats and Nighthawk Women stats for up-to-date NJCAA statistics on the Nighthawks this season. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
