Men's Basketball Falls in NMJC Classic Opener to North Platte Despite Second-Half Rally
Hobbs, N.M. - UA Cossatot men's basketball opened up their appearance in the New Mexico Junior College Classic, losing 88-75 against NJCAA Division I North Platte Community College at the Caster Activity Center.
December 17, 2025
The Colts (7-8) came back from a major halftime deficit, but ultimately it was the Knights (8-7) who prevailed by gaining control in the latter stages of the second half.
The first half was mostly close as UAC pulled within three with 5:28 to go, but a 20-6 NPCC run gave them a 48-31 lead at halftime. Bryce Goodwin led Cossatot with eight first-half points, while Justin McCray had four rebounds, also having two assists as did Amory Arie and RJ Patton.
The Colts came galloping out of the gates to start the second half, and with 11:25 to go tied the game up at 56-56, and although they fell behind again, a John Ateny layup with 10:23 remaining gave UAC it's first lead lead since 16:00 left in the first half at 60-58. However after that the Knights struck back, going on a run of their own.
North Platte was able to stay comfortably in the two-to-three possession lead range in the final fifth of the game, winning 88-75.
Goodwin led Cossatot with 11 points as he connected on three of five three-point attempts, while Cherano Calmez had 10 rebounds, tying Patton for the team lead in assists with three. Knighten Day shot 4-6 for nine points in a homecoming appearance, as the Las Cruces, New Mexico native also pulled down five rebounds. Jeremiah Deering contributed across the board with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
In total the Colts shot 40.6% from the field along with a prolific 38.5% on three-pointers, while North Platte shot 45.8% from the field and 37% on three-pointers, while making the difference by going 24-33 at the free throw line while UAC went 9-14. Both teams had 30 points in the paint, while Cossatot outscored North Platte 24-5 on second chance points, but lost to the Knights 24-7 on points off turnovers.
UAC won the rebounds battle 47-34, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds and 31 defensive rebounds, compared to six and 28 respectively for North Platte, who won the steals battle 11-4 and the turnovers battle 12-19.
In total there were six ties and six lead changes before the Knights took the lead for good.
The Colts finish up 2025 tomorrow, as they'll play New Mexico Junior College at noon the following day. This is the third iteration of Colts vs Thunderbirds, with NMJC claiming victories against the Colts in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the NMJCC.