Plainsmen Could Not Buy A Bucket And Drop Two

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and be thankful for everything they have and enjoy each other's company.  For the Plainsmen basketball team, it's a time to enjoy the time together without the stress of school and getting to play the game they love.  Being on the road over the holidays can be tough for freshmen who may not have spent time away from home, but being on a collegiate team is something special; one would say that it is a player's second family, a home away from home.

Time on the road for the Plainsmen would allow for the team to grow together and get to know each other better.  Playing two games along the way in Salt Lake City, UT was an added bonus for them.  Although it was a long drive, the men from the northeast plains of Colorado were ready to play.

Their first game the men would face Salt Lake Coummunity College, who would prove to be a tough competitor for NJC.  In the first half, the Bruins would get hot and go 14/31 in field goals, whereas the Plainsmen would not buy a bucket and only go 9/30 in the field.  Despite not shooting well, the Plainsmen would only trail the Bruins by eight at the half.  The second half would be much better for Northeastern as far as shooting goes.  The second half they would go 12/29 from the field and put up 31 points.  Although NJC would shoot better themselves, the Bruins would shoot just as well by going 17/32 from the floor.  In the end, the Plainsmen would go on to lose this game 78-58.

Marcus Burwell would lead the team in scoring with 19 points, three assists, and 5 rebounds.  Next would be Ron Hall who had eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks.

After falling to SLCC in their first game, the Plainsmen wanted to come out against Snow College and play bettter in order to get the split.  They knew they needed to shoot better and play well defensively for them to come out with a victory.  In the first four minutes of the game, the Badgers would go on a quick 12-4 run against the Plainsmen.  Without letting that run define them, Northeastern would put the points on in the next five minutes and bring the score back within two points, 23-21 with the Badgers still leading.  As the first half would come to a close, the Plainsmen would trail by nine, 41-32.  The Badgers would have the hot hand in the first half by going 6/10 (60%) from three point range and 16/29 (55.2%) from the field.  The Plainsmen still shot reasonably well from the field by going 12/25 (48%).  Although the Badgers shot really well, the Plainsmen were still in the ballgame.

In the second half, both teams would exchange point for point.  With less than eight minutes remaining, the Plainsmen would find themselves only down two points, 58-56.  There was plenty of time left for Northeastern to make a run to gain the lead.  As time would tick, the Plainsmen would tie the game 65-65 with two minutes to go.  From this point on, NJC would play the foul game hoping they could get the Badgers to miss free throws and allow them to go to the other end an make a few points of their own.  That gameplan did not end up working the way they wanted to.  Each time the Plainsmen fouled, the Badgers would make their free throws and Northeastern would miss their follow up jumper.  The Plainsmen would fall to the Badgers 74-69 in a well played game.

Marcus Burwell would go on to have 19 points by going 3/7 from the three and 7/12 from the field.  Ben Davis II would have a solid game in the post by having 15 points and five rebounds.  Next would be Ibrahim Dodo by contributing 10 points and snagging seven rebounds.

The Plainsmen's next game will be at home as they open Region IX Conference play against the Lancers from Eastern Wyoming College on November 30.