The third-ranked National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s basketball team (15-0)
remained undefeated on the season with a 80-64 win over Arkansas State University
Mid-South (ASU Mid-South) Thursday.
In a back-and-forth first half, ASU Mid-South stifled NPC’s offense early, taking
a double-digit lead, 21-11, with 12:07 to play. Led by sophomore guards Nakavieon
White (Odessa, Texas) and Ja’Bryant Hill (Dallas, Texas), the Nighthawks responded
with a 17-6 run to take the lead, 28-27, with 6:53 remaining. Defense dominated down
the stretch as each team struggled to put points on the board, resulting in a 34-32
ASU Mid-South lead after 20 minutes.
In a tale of two halves, NPC rallied in the second half to exact revenge on its NJCAA
rival. After trading the lead for nearly 13 minutes, the Nighthawks took control for
good with 7:17 remaining, finishing on a 25-11 run to close out their 15th win of
the season. In the win, White passed former Nighthawk JoQuarius Valrie to become NPC’s
all-time leader in rebounds.
White led the Nighthawks in scoring with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Hill added 18
points, while sophomore guard Patrick Punch (Houston, Texas) and sophomore center
Taylor Harrell (Houston, Texas) added 17 and 11 points, respectively, in the win.
The Nighthawks face Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden Monday, January 15
at 6:30 p.m. NPC returns home against Shorter College Thursday, January 25 at 6:30
p.m.
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
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
X: @NPC_Nighthawks
