February 2, 2021
The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk basketball teams took two games from East
Texas Baptist University’s junior varsity teams on Monday, with the Nighthawk women
winning, 110-66, and the Nighthawk men winning, 84-63. 
In a historic performance for the Nighthawk women, NPC (2-3) erupted from the opening
tipoff, amassing a 13-0 lead to start the game and allowing just two field goals en
route to a 35-7 first quarter finish. Fueled by big three-pointers from freshmen Kaylee
Dougan (Kirby), Jasmine Keener (Centerpoint) and Sierra Trotter (Bryant), the Nighthawks
blazed through a 30-point second quarter, taking an impressive 65-23 lead into halftime.
Nighthawk freshman Kyra Hargrove (Perryville) led NPC through the third quarter, adding
10 points while Trotter remained hot from beyond the arc with two more treys. In the
fourth quarter, freshmen Essieana Bennett (Houston, TX) and India Atkins (Bryant)
closed out the game with 10- and 6-point efforts, respectively, leading to NPC’s highest
point total in Nighthawk women’s basketball history.
Dougan led the Nighthawks in scoring with 18 points. Atkins and Bennett finished with
15 points apiece, while Trotter and Keener scored 12 points each. Hargrove added 10
points in the win.
In men’s action, the Nighthawks (4-2) found themselves in a strategic defensive chess
match with the Tigers early. With each team’s defense denying shots in the paint,
NPC relied on timely three-pointers and seven-of-eight shooting from the free throw line to build an advantage. An eight-point effort from sophomore Terry Clardy Jr.
(Conway) paced the Nighthawks to a 35-20 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Tigers threatened a comeback early, finding success in the
paint and breaking NPC’s defensive stalemate. Nighthawk sophomore Kam Vick (Little
Rock) took charge on offense, draining six three-pointers to quell the Tigers’ comeback
attempt and drive NPC to its fourth-consecutive victory.
Vick led the Nighthawks in scoring with 27 points, while Clardy Jr. added 12 points
in the win.
The Nighthawk men and women play host to Arkansas Baptist College on Thursday, Feb.
4 with the women tipping off at 5 p.m. and the men following at 7 p.m. General admission
tickets to NPC home games can be purchased at https://np.edu/tickets. Tickets for faculty and staff can be obtained at https://np.edu/np-tickets. The games will be live streamed 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 on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
