Knights upset bid falls short against Rattlers

La Junta, Colo. – Timur Krupalija had a career-high 29 points, but a late rally pushed Otero Junior College to a 101-94 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Krupalija set the tone inside, capturing 15 points to spark the Knights comeback bid after trailing by twenty-one points in the early moments of the second half. The Knights steadily climbed back into the game cutting the deficit down to seven with 15:19 to play. The 15-2 run set the tone for the remainder of the half, as the Knights continued to apply pressure to the Otero offense.

Down the stretch, the Knights cut the Rattlers lead to three multiple times over the next ten minutes. Nico Felici orchestrated the offense and back-to-back short-range jumpers gave the Knights their first lead of the game with 2:38 to play. Otero responded just thirty seconds later to retake the lead and outscored the Knights 8-4 to fend off the possible upset.

Otero jumped out to a nine-point lead in the opening four minutes of the game. North Platte chipped away at the lead over the next six minutes and managed to cut the deficit to four on a German Plotnikov off-balance runner, 28-24. Otero hit their stride offensively over the remainder of the half and built a nineteen-point lead by the halftime break, 59-40.

Knights shot over 50 percent from the floor for the sixth time this year, while outrebounding the Rattlers, 40-37. North Platte finished with four scorers in double figures including Krupalija, Plotnikov (20), Trevon Dennis (18), and Caleb Horne (12).

North Platte (5-9) will head south for a rivalry matchup with McCook Community College on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center.