ESPAÑOLA, N.M. - Northern New Mexico College men's basketball team rallied in the second half to secure an 88-82 victory over Justice University on Monday morning in front of 287 enthusiastic elementary school students at the Eagle Memorial Sportsplex.



The win improves the Eagles' record to 2-7 on the season as they showed resilience after trailing 47-40 at halftime. Northern New Mexico outscored Justice University 48-35 in the second half, using an intensified defensive effort to turn the tide.
Junior guard Ja'Kwon Hill led the Eagles with 21 points, including a  9-for-14 performance from the free-throw line. Hill added three rebounds, three steals and three assists while playing all 40 minutes of the contest.

Diego Sharp contributed 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, while Jesus Mendoza provided a spark from beyond the arc, connecting on all four of his three-point attempts to finish with 14 points. Harkirath Makhar added 11 points, including a perfect three-for-three from deep, and Marquise Delahaye chipped in ten points off the bench.

The game featured three ties and two lead changes, with the Eagles building its largest advantage to 12 points midway through the second half. Northern New Mexico shot 50 percent from the field for the game and connected on 7-of-16 attempts from three-point range.

"Our guys really locked in defensively in that second half," said Eagles head coach Mike Dominguez. "We made some adjustments at halftime that paid off, and I'm particularly pleased to see five guys reach double figures. When we share the ball and get everyone involved, we're a much more dangerous team."



Justice University (2-3) was led by Jaden Walker with 14 points and Rayqwan King with 12 points, but couldn't overcome the Eagles' second-half surge despite shooting 50 percent from the field themselves.

The Eagles will return to action on December 14 when they travel to Fort Collins to face Colorado State University.