The National Park College Nighthawk basketball teams were swept by Southern Arkansas
University Tech Thursday, with the Nighthawk women falling, 82-56, and the Nighthawk
men losing, 95-88.
In the women’s game, National Park College (3-8) enjoyed hot starts from sophomores
Faith Bratton (Jessieville) and Bailey Womack (Fountain Lake) to pace the Nighthawks
to an 18-17 first-quarter lead, but fell silent in the second quarter with SAU Tech
outscoring the Nighthawks, 22-8, to take a 39-26 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Nighthawks utilized three-pointers from sophomore Hailee Crosby
(Mountain Pine) and free throws from Womack to outscore the Lady Rockets in the third
quarter, but could not overcome the depth of SAU Tech, who surged for 28 points in
the final frame.
Womack led the Nighthawks in scoring with 21 points, with Bratton adding 12 points
in the loss.
Behind hot shooting from freshman Patrick Greene (Little Rock Mills) and sophomore
Braylon Steen (Bryant), the Nighthawk men (10-2) overcame a double-digit first-half
deficit to take a 43-42 lead into the break.
In the second half, SAU Tech came alive from beyond the arc, sinking six three-pointers
to regain the lead. Despite making 16 of 18 free throws, and an 11-point effort from sophomore KJ Corder (Hot
Springs), the Nighthawks could not overcome the late push from the Rockets, resulting
in the Nighthawk men’s first home loss in program history.
Greene led the Nighthawks in scoring with 26 points. Corder added 19 points, while
Steen finished with 17 points, including eight of eight free throws. Freshman DJ Martin
(Pine Bluff) amassed 10 points in the loss.
The Nighthawk men and women return to action Monday, January 21 at “The Kettle” at
National Park College in Hot Springs. The Nighthawk women play host to Rhema Bible
Training College at 5 p.m. with the men tipping off at 7 p.m. against the Eagles.
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 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.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks