The New Mexico Military Institute Bronco men's basketball team dropped their season opener, falling to Seward County Community College at home, 86-82.
The visiting Saints built an early lead in the first half, up by twelve, 21-9 at the 11:14 mark, after an NMMI turnover resulted in a foul and a miss and a make at the free throw line for SCCC.
That lead would increase to 14 three times in the half before the Broncos began their comeback, battling back thanks to chances at the charity stripe. The Saints committed 22 fouls in the first half alone, and NMMI sunk 18 of 25 free throws, paving the way to a one-point lead at halftime, 41-40, with NMMI sophomore guard Jerry Kabantu hitting the final shot from the field, a two-point jump shot off the dribble-drive from close range.
The Broncos extended that lead to six points in the second, 54-48, after freshman Latik Murphy nailed another jumper from the wing with 18:36 still remining on the clock.
But the outside shooting by Seward was just too much down the stretch. The Saints drained five treys over the next five minutes and once again found themselves up by double digits.
A final NMMI rally during the last two minutes closed the gap to within four points, but the Saints kept the game out of reach by making 6 of 7 free throws when the Broncos were forced to foul.
"When you turn over the ball 28 times, miss 13 free throws and lose by four, that's a problem," said head NMMI coach Sean Schooley. "But it's a fixable problem. During certain stretches, we made some great runs on offense and executed well on defense. Our effort was just inconsistent."
Four players hit the double-digit mark in scoring for the Broncos. Latik and soph forward Jonathan Salazar each had 16 points; with guards Isaiah Williams, a freshman, and Jordan Nelson, a sophomore, each posting 10.
Salazar also pulled down 14 rebounds in the contest, giving him the double-double.
Next up for NMMI will be a pair of games this weekend in the four-team NMMI Classic. They'll take on Trinidad State Junior College at 7:30 pm MDT on Friday, Nov. 5, then face-off against Dodge City Community College on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 2:30 pm MDT.
Both of those games will be at home in the Godfrey Athletic Center on the NMMI campus, and the public is invited to attend.