Knights surge past Northeastern

North Platte, Neb. – The Knights fought back from a double-digit second half deficit to defeat the Plainsmen of Northeastern Junior College on Tuesday night, 67-63.

Freshman Nico Felici finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, while teammate German Plotnikov and Timur Krupalija closed out the night with 14 points and 13 points, respectively.  

North Platte (7-9) trailed by as many as ten in the second half but rallied to pull within three with 3:43 remaining. Knights tightened their grip on defense, before Plotnikov delivered a vital three from the corner to give the Knights a three-point advantage. Northeastern attempted to regain some momentum in the closing minutes, but the Knights sealed the game at the free throw line by going a perfect 4-for-4 over the last sixty-five seconds.

Knights trailed in the opening minutes, before capturing their first lead of the game on a step back jumper by Plotnikov with 11:42 to play in the first half. The margin stayed under five until Obi Agbim connected on a baseline jumper to extend the Plainsmen lead to six. North Platte tallied only one more field goal in the half and faced a nine-point deficit as teams headed into the locker room, 37-28.

Knights return home on Saturday, Feb. 5 for a DI Region IX game against the Cougars of Western Nebraska Community College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.