The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk women’s basketball team ended its season in the first round of the NJCAA Region II Tournament Tuesday, falling to University of Arkansas Cossatot (UAC), 69-59.
NPC struggled to hit shots out of the gate, falling behind by double digits early in a 20-5 disadvantage after 10 minutes. Behind gritty scoring and tough defense from sophomore forward Jhyla Calvin (Morrilton), the Nighthawks began to find their groove in the second quarter, outscoring UAC, 14-12, to cut the deficit to 32-19 at halftime.
Sophomore guard India Atkins (Bryant) turned up the heat in the second half, scoring 19 points over the final 20 minutes to fuel the surging Nighthawks down the stretch. NPC rallied in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to as few as four points, 63-59, with three minutes remaining, but were unable to contain the Lady Colts from beyond the arc to complete the comeback.
Atkins led the Nighthawks in scoring with 25 points, while Calvin added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Ashley Blalock (Gurdon) added 10 points in the loss.
After earning a first round bye in the NJCAA Region II tournament, the second-seeded Nighthawk men will play host to either North Arkansas College or University of Arkansas Cossatot in the NJCAA Region II semifinals Saturday, March 4 at 3 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Nighthawk Network.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk men’s basketball and Nighthawk women’s basketball online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
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Snapchat: npnighthawks
