The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk women’s basketball team knocked off the
top-ranked NCCAA team in the nation Friday, defeating Arlington Baptist University,
88-83, at “The Kettle” in Hot Springs.
After falling behind early, 12-3, in the game’s opening minutes, NPC was forced to
play catch-up throughout the first quarter. Paced by seven points from freshman Nya
Moody (Lake Hamilton), the Nighthawks kept within reach of the Patriots. Sophomore
Grace Crawford (Bee Branch) gave the Nighthawks their first lead with 52 seconds remaining
in the first quarter.
With NPC trailing, 21-20, entering the second quarter, the Patriots took advantage
of two Nighthawk injuries to pad their lead, extending their lead to 48-38 at halftime.
The Nighthawks regained momentum in the third quarter, rallying behind sophomore
Logan Keener (Lake Hamilton) and freshman Jaide Vavra (Centerpoint) to shrink the
Arlington Baptist lead to six points, 63-57, entering the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Moody stepped up, providing 11 of the Nighthawks’ 31 fourth-quarter
points to help erase the deficit. With less than a minute remaining in the game, a
clutch three-pointer from Moody put the Nighthawks back on top, 81-80, sparking a
10-3 run to propel NPC to its second-consecutive victory and its biggest in program
history.
Moody led the Nighthawks in scoring with 21 points. Keener added 16 points, while
freshman Imani Honey (Hot Springs), Vavra and Crawford scored 14, 13 and 9 points,
respectively, in the win.
The Nighthawk women return to action Friday, Dec. 13 at 5:00 p.m. against Oklahoma
Wesleyan University’s junior varsity team in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Nighthawk
men (5-4) face Rhema Bible College on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 11:30 a.m. in Broken Arrow,
Oklahoma. 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
