T-Bird (MBB) Drops 1st Game of the Year
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 41 | 77 |
|
|
39 | 47 | 86 |
Team Stats
Collin County Community College
| Game Statistics | New Mexico Junior College | Collin County Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-67) | (24-53) |
| Field Goal % | 43.3% | 45.3% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 26 |
| Assists | 19 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 21 | 14 |
NMJC men's basketball suffered its first loss of the season 86-77 against Collin College on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The T-Birds struggled with foul trouble with Ladji Coulibaly picking up two fouls in the first four minutes of play. He unfortunately picked up two quick fouls in the first 1:30 of the second half and had to sit for most of the game.
The Thunderbirds had to go deep in the bench to Marquan Harris after backup center Francois Nkoy-Eale sat out due to an injury he suffered prior to the game against Murray State.
NMJC went into the break behind the Cougars 39-36.
The T-Birds led 56-51 at the 12:00 minute mark but Collin went on an 8-0 run to grab the lead with 8:50 left in the game. Kenny Fields hit a big 3-pointer with 8:12 left to take back the lead 59-58. NMJC would not lead the rest of the game.
Michael Mackey kept it close with a 3-pointer to pull the T-Birds within three at 64-62 with 5:47 remaining. The T-Birds could not keep the free throw barrage by Collin at bay and fell by nine points. The Cougars shot 24 free throws in the last 10:00 of the game making 19 of them.
Collin had a huge disparity on their side when it came to free throws. The Cougars shot 40 free throws making 32 of them at an 80% clip while NMJC went 11-of-18 (61.1%) from the line.
Sophomore RJ Nance was the team's leading scorer Saturday night with 16 points. Delang Muon scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Kenny Fields was also in double figures posting 11 points. Garrison Phelps had another productive day registering eight points and eight rebounds.
The T-Birds shot 29-for-67 (43.3%) from the field, 8-of-32 (25%) from the 3-point line, and 11-of-18 (61.1%) from the free throw line. The Thunderbirds turned the ball over 20 times to the Cougars 14.
The No. 22 T-Birds fall to 9-1 and will face Lamar Community College Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. MST in Hobbs, NM.
