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T-Birds fall to top-ranked Texans
Marvin Binney-Photo courtesy of Hobbs News Sun2/27/2012 11:15:02 AM
T-Birds fall to top-ranked Texans
Levelland, TX – Each time it appeared the New Mexico Junior College men’s basketball team was going to make a run at top-ranked and undefeated South Plains College, the Texans always had an answer.
The final threat came when NMJC was down 68-60 with less than six minutes left in the second half and Dequan Hicks knifed his way into the paint and skied high for a shot. But Hicks’ shot hit the front of the iron and was quickly turned into a 3-pointer by South Plains’ Malcolm Miller; igniting a 17-0 run to end the game during the Thunderbirds’ 85-60 loss Monday at the Texan Dome.
The T-Birds, who lost to the same Texans squad 79-78 in overtime in Hobbs, shot just 29.6 percent (8-for-27) in the second half and 35.1 percent (20-for-57) for the game as NMJC dropped to 7-4 in the WJCAC and 19-8 overall.
“I thought we competed well with them physically up until the last four or five minutes of the game,’’ NMJC coach Chris Tifft said. “Dequan just came up short on that shot and we gave up a wide open three and the game got away from us from there. We folded up. This season we played the top-ranked team 85 minutes and competed for 80 with them. The last five minutes of this game we didn’t.”
The South Plains led by as much as 11 in the first half before going into the break with a 42-35 advantage. Desmond Lee and Robert Turner led NMJC with 13 points while Hicks finished with 12.
Despite the loss NMJC remains in third place, a game ahead of Odessa College (6-5) after the Wranglers lost to Howard College 69-59 Monday in Odessa.
The T-Birds return home to play Frank Phillips 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Caster Activity Center
Clayton Jones, News-Sun
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