Cold spell helps lift Plainswomen past Knights

North Plate, Neb. – Fumnanya Ijeh led the Knights with 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but Northeastern Junior College rallied late to earn the 62-48 victory on Thursday night.

An uptempo offense helped the Plainswomen jump out to a 14-8 advantage at the end of the opening period. Northeastern extended their lead to 25-15 with 2:08 remaining in the second quarter, before a 6-0 run led by Noel Warrior pulled the Knights back within four by the halftime break.

Ijeh shouldered the workload to open the third quarter, as six straight points propelled the Knights into the lead. The Plainswomen and Knights exchanged the lead over the next 6:09 until a short spurt gave the visitors the four-point advantage to close the third quarter.

Northeastern continued their run in the final period as the resurgence of their uptempo offense helped build a double-digit lead in the opening three minutes. The Knights cut the margin to eight on a free throw line jumper by Vanessa Wood, but the Plainswomen held North Platte without a field goal over the final six minutes to seal the win.  

The Knights (7-20) will round out the regular season at home on Saturday against the Colorado State University Club team. Tip is set for 2 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.