T-Bird (MBB) Collects Ranked Win Over Hawks
January 16, 2025

T-Bird (MBB) Collects Ranked Win Over Hawks

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The No. 5 Thunderbirds knocked off No. 14 Howard College 66-57 Thursday night to earn their first ranked win of the season.

NMJC and Howard were tied 7-7 early at the 14:00 minute mark. The Thunderbirds found a spark off the bench knocking down three shots in a row beyond the arc in less than a minute. A Jayden Spearman three, followed by a Deuce Benjamin 3-pointer, and another triple by Spearman gave NMJC a 16-7 lead with 13:05 left in the first half.

NMJC extended their lead to 12 points, 30-18, following a 3-pointer by Armon Jarrard with 4:06 remaining in the half. Howard cut the lead in half in the final four minutes to make the score at the break 33-27. 

Spearman hit his third 3-pointer of the night with 16:06 left in the game to put NMJC in front 41-31. The Hawks came within four points, 44-40, with 13:38 left in the second half. The four-point deficit would be the closest Howard would get the rest of the game. 

NMJC kept Howard at bay with their outside shooting. The 14 3-pointers are the most made by the T-Birds in conference play this season. The Thunderbirds controlled Howard the rest of the second half and went on to win by nine points, 66-57.   

Rodrigo Farias went 3-for-6 from the 3-point line to finished with nine points.

Deuce Benjamin shot 3-for-6 from 3-point land finishing with 11 points and three assists.

Sophomore shooting guard Jayden Spearman went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and tied his career-high of 21 points. Armon Jarrard recorded eight points and seven rebounds.

The T-Birds shot 24-of-58 (41.4%) from the field, 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the 3-point line, and 4-of-5 (80.0%) from the free throw line. The Thunderbirds held the Hawks to 38.9% from the field and 31.6% from three-point land.

The No. 5 Thunderbirds move to 16-2 (2-2) and will face Midland College 13-4 (3-0) in Midland, Texas on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. CST.