The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk women’s basketball team (21-12) wrapped up its season Wednesday in the consolation round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament, falling to Lansing Community College (LCC), 68-62.
Facing an early 9-2 deficit, NPC settled in and began chipping away. Sophomore forward La’Niya Underwood (Killeen, Texas) set the tone with strong rebounding and second-chance points, while sophomore guard Khyra Garrett (Brownsboro, Texas) and freshman forward Layla Tell (Haynesville, Louisiana) closed the gap at the free throw line. The Nighthawks trailed just 14-13 after the opening quarter.
NPC continued to spread the scoring in the second frame, with Underwood, Garrett and sophomore guards Daisy Dollar (Mena) and Ta’Keyla Williamson (Blevins) contributing to the comeback. The Stars, however, used a pair of timely three-pointers to create separation, carrying a 30-23 lead into the locker room.
LCC opened the third quarter with two more threes to push the margin into double digits. NPC responded from downtown as well, with Dollar knocking down back-to-back triples to pass former Nighthawk India Atkins (Bryant) for first place all-time in program history. The Stars remained steady, building their largest lead of the game—17 points—with 2:15 left in the quarter. Williamson and sophomore forward Aaliyah Hollins (Nashville) kept NPC within striking distance, trimming the deficit to 52-39 entering the fourth.
With its season on the line, NPC battled to the final horn, outscoring the Stars, 23-16, to pull within two possessions. Williamson led the late surge with five points, while Garrett and Hollins added four each inside. Dollar and Underwood combined for eight clutch free throws down the stretch, but the comeback ultimately fell short as the Nighthawks’ historic season came to a close.
Dollar paced NPC in scoring with 12 points. Hollins and Williamson added 11 points apiece, while Underwood finished with 10 points in the loss.
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