The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s and women’s basketball teams split in NJCAA Region II Division II action at SAU Tech Saturday, with the Nighthawk women defeating the Lady Rockets, 86-72, and the Nighthawk men falling, 95-88.
Thanks to a red-hot start from freshman Nya Moody (Lake Hamilton), which included 11 first-quarter points, the Nighthawk women (6-5) took command of the game early, moving the ball and setting up shooters for big buckets. In the second quarter, Moody continued her assault from beyond the arc, adding three more treys to finish the first half with 20 points.
Leading, 38-33, at the break, the Nighthawks padded their lead in the second half with big three-pointers and nine-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. Freshman Jaide Vavra (Centerpoint) came alive with 18 second-half points, while freshman Imani Honey (Hot Springs) added 10 second-half points and five steals to help push NPC to a double-digit victory.
Moody led the Nighthawks in scoring with 25 points. Vavra added 21 points while Honey contributed 15 points in the win.
In men’s action, National Park College (9-7) struggled to get into the paint early, forcing the Nighthawks to play from behind early. Multiple three-pointers from the Rockets built the lead to double digits with eight minutes remaining, but the Nighthawks were able to play catch-up from the free throw line to cut the deficit to 47-36 at the break.
The Nighthawks found their groove in the second half, fueled by great performances from freshmen Joe Ramey (El Dorado), Kamryn Vick (Little Rock) and Tyler Tolliver (Mayflower). Trailing by 19 points with 11:44 remaining, the Nighthawks attacked the paint and knocked down crucial three pointers to stage a late comeback. With 2:30 remaining, a put-back layup from Ramey cut the deficit to three points, 88-85, but the Rockets were able to utilize NPC foul trouble to put the game away from the free throw line.
Ramey led the Nighthawks in scoring with 25 points. Sophomore Reyhan Cobb (Decatur, Ga.) added 20 points, while Vick and Tolliver contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively, in the loss.
“We’ve developed a good rivalry with them,” head coach Jason Hudnell said. “We came out and tried to zone them a lot in the first half. I liked the way we responded in some spots. When we were down by 16 points, It would have been easy to pack it in, but we hit a couple of big shots, got a rebound here and a loose ball there and, all of a sudden, it’s a five-point ballgame. We’re frustrated with some of the places we didn’t execute well. We missed some free throws that we would normally make, but they have to come back to The Kettle and we have something for them when they come back.”
In recognition of Arvest Bank’s sponsorship of Nighthawk Athletics, NPC will celebrate Arvest Bank Night Tuesday, Jan. 28 beginning at 5 p.m. at “The Kettle.” The Nighthawks will play host to Arkansas Baptist College with the women playing at 5 p.m. and the men following at 7 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.
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Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
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