Odessa College Bounced From National Tournament By Southern Idaho

The Odessa College Wranglers saw their season come to an end Tuesday with a 103-95 loss to College of Southern Idaho in the second round of the NJCAA men's basketball national tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Southern Idaho, the 10th seed in the tournament, outscored the seventh-seeded Wranglers 17-9 over the final 6:27. The Golden Eagles (29-5) advance to the quarterfinals to take on Northwest Florida State College at 2 p.m. Thursday.

L.J. Figueroa had a game-high 31 points and seven rebounds to lead Odessa College (28-5). Jahnathan Maxwell added 20 points and seven rebounds before fouling out, while Keandre Cook had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jermaine Haley scored 14 points.

Southern Idaho was led by Tommy Burton with 29 points and Charles Jones with 24. Danya Kingsby scored 15 points.

In a game that saw seven ties and seven lead changes, Odessa College overcame a an early 10-point deficit and led 72-65 when Maxwell made three free throws with 11:07 remaining.

Southern Idaho used a 15-6 surge to go ahead 80-78 on Kingsby's 3-pointer with 8:36 left, but the Wranglers tied it four time before the Golden Eagles went on a 9-1 run to take the lead for good. Odessa College was still within two at 97-95 with 1:09 left, but Kingsby made four free throws in the final minute to seal it.

Southern Idaho hit 11 3-pointers to Odessa College's five and outrebounded the Wranglers 57-41, grabbing 27 offensive rebounds and scoring 23 second-chance points.

Article by OA