The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s and women’s basketball teams split their NJCAA Region II Division II conference series at North Arkansas College Thursday, with the Nighthawk women falling, 71-66, and the Nighthawk men picking up a 102-95 overtime victory.
In women’s action, the No. 16 Lady Pioneers thrived early, taking advantage of cold Nighthawk shooting to build a 16-5 advantage over the first seven minutes. Trailing, 20-10, heading into the second quarter, NPC (3-9) found better offensive success in the paint, scoring five field goals while adding six points on free throws en route to a 42-26 halftime deficit.
In the second half, the Nighthawks kept pace behind eight second-half points from freshman India Atkins (Bryant). Trailing, 60-40, entering the fourth quarter, surged late behind 12 fourth-quarter points from sophomore Imani Honey (Hot Springs) to outscore North Arkansas, 26-11, in the final frame. Despite shrinking a 20-point deficit to just five points, NPC was unable to complete the comeback, resulting in the team’s ninth loss of the year.
Honey led the Nighthawks in scoring with 20 points, while Atkins added 12 points in the loss.
In a defensive chess match all the way through, the Nighthawk men (9-5) traded buckets with the Pioneers for the majority of the first half, with North Arkansas holding a 17-15 advantage after the first 10 minutes. Led by strong in-the-paint shooting from sophomore Joe Ramey (El Dorado) and freshman Garret Powell (Springboro, OH), NPC created multiple opportunities down low to keep the score close throughout the first half. As time expired in the first half, Nighthawk sophomore Kam Vick (Little Rock) drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cut the deficit to four points, 44-40, at halftime.
In the second half, NPC rallied behind Vick, who remained hot from three-point range, draining seven total treys in the contest. With each team struggling to take a comfortable lead, the game continued its back-and-forth nature down to the wire. Tied at 84 with less than a second remaining in regulation, an errant baseline pass from NPC went out of bounds, sending the game into overtime. Over the extra five-minute period, NPC erupted on an 18-8 run, sending the Nighthawks to a conference sweep of the Pioneers for the first time in school history.
Vick led the Nighthawks in scoring with 29 points. Powell and Ramey added 18 and 14 points, respectively, while sophomore Terry Clardy Jr. (Conway) scored 13 points. Freshman Kylil Anderson (Fort Worth, TX) contributed 11 points in the win.
The Nighthawk men and women travel to Southern Arkansas University Tech on Saturday, Mar. 20 with the women tipping off at 5 p.m. and the men following at 7 p.m.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit 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
