NMMI Sports Press
The New Mexico Military Institute Bronco basketball team picked up their second conference win of the season, downing Western Texas College at home in a nail-biting, one-point thriller, 66-65.
Once again playing without point guard Donald Chapman, who has been sidelined with an injury the past four games, the Broncos found themselves trailing by seven after the first half, 38-31.
The visiting Westerners increased that lead to ten points early in the second half, but tenacious defense, and some hot shooting behind the arc put the Broncos up 48-47 with 10:06 left, started by a trey from sophomore forward Cassius Bonjasky.
NMMI built their own five-point lead, 56-51, after another three-pointer, this time from sophomore guard Jonathan Burroughs at the 5:01 mark.
Western Texas battled back, knotting up the score four times down the stretch, and saw two brief one-point leads: one at 59-58, with 2:39 left, then again, 65-64, with just 24 ticks remaining.
Back-to-back threes by Burroughs ended that first WTC lead, and the second was undone by freshman guard Jonah Lopez. Lopez drove into the paint and put up a contested shot with 5.9 second left. The shot didn't go in, but a foul was called and Lopez stoically sunk both ends to put NMMI up 66-65.
A final Westerner shot never had a chance, after being partially blocked by freshman guard Louie Yerba.
"If there was ever a team and an assistant coach who needed to see a 'W', it was this group," said head Institute coach Sean Schooley. "Coach Hoff did a tremendous job – and has all year – of getting these guys prepared."
"Jonah Lopez, a freshman from Rio Grande who weighs just a buck-fifty after lunch, did everything we asked him to do," said Schooley. "How many freshmen are willing to drive into the paint and take that shot at the end of the game, to try and make something happen? He drew the foul and then sunk the tying and go-ahead free throws."
"Another freshman, Leslie Okafor, really contributed as well," continued Schooley. "He made some tremendous defensive stops, and some blocks at crucial times."
NMMI's top scorer was Burroughs, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half, sinking 5-of-8 three-pointers. "JB has worked his way into the starting rotation. He really came alive in the second half," commented Schooley.
Lopez finished with 13 points: 2-for-3 from behind the arc and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Okafor also had 10 points, along with nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
"It was just a good, collective group effort tonight and hopefully in the second half of conference, we'll give some people some problems," finished Schooley.
With the win, NMMI moves to 7-15 overall and 2-6 in conference. Next up will be Howard College, on the road, on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 pm CST.