RANGELY, Colo. – It was a dominant weekend for the Colorado Northwestern Community College Men's Basketball team as the Spartans posted a pair of double-digit victories inside Hefley Arena and improved to 14-1 to start the season.
Colorado Northwestern started its weekend with a 72-45 victory against the Jump Start Rebels on Friday. On Saturday, CNCC handled Mesa Community College by a score of 75-51.
Mitch Jeppesen was the Spartan's leading scorer across the two games, putting up double figures in both contests. The two wins also helped Colorado Northwestern's win break the program record for wins in a season. The previous mark was 13 wins set last year with Head Coach
Ben Cruickshank at the helm. Cruickshank's squad is poised to shatter the program wins record with their entire Scenic West Athletic Conference schedule left to play.
Friday marked a second straight meeting between Jump Start and CNCC. The home team's trademark defense set the tone for the game. Colorado Northwestern held the Rebels to 26-percent shooting from the floor and a nine-percent mark from behind the three-point arc which resulted in just 22 first-half points. It allowed the Spartans to carry an eight-point lead into halftime after
Tyler Christensen poured in 11 points on 50-percent shooting. The second half was much of the same with CNCC's defense holding Jump Start to 23 more points.
Arthur Videira's 10 points in the second half highlighted a 42-point surge by Colorado Northwestern. He only missed one shot in the final 20 minutes as CNCC pulled away for the win.
Individual highlights from Friday's contest were aplenty. Christensen's 15 points led all scorers and he grabbed five rebounds as well. Jeppesen and
Carson Forsey chipped in 11 points apiece. Videira finished touting 10 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds off the bench.
Jamir Todd topped the team in rebounds thanks to nine boards.
Saturday brought a rematch with the Thunderbirds of Mesa Community College. The previous meeting came on Nov. 9 and the Spartans were victorious, 63-52. Homecourt advantage for CNCC made the second showdown more of a blowout than a nailbiter with the defense shining again. Mesa CC managed just 19 points in the first period, shooting only 21 percent from long range and 24 per cent from the floor. Todd scored eight and CNCC rolled into the break with a 38-19 lead. Johnson came alive in the second half and poured in 14 of his 17 points in the last 20 minutes. He hit three straight three-pointers early with the Spartans draining 8-of-19 from behind the arc in the second half. Coach Cruickshank's squad closed out a 75-51 victory to close non-conference play.
The starts from Saturday included Johnson, Jeppesen, Videira, Todd,
Elijah Kersey, and
Santiago Casarin. Johnson notched 17 points and four steals. Jeppesen added 10 points and seven rebounds. Videira matched those seven rebounds and blocked four shots. Todd and Kersey walked away boasting nine points apiece. Finally, Casarin turned in a casual eight-point, seven-rebound game.
Colorado Northwestern's men go on holiday break before opening SWAC play on Thursday, Jan. 2, at home against Utah State Eastern. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m. inside Hefley Arena. Live, pay-per-view video will be available on the Scenic West Network.
Fans can keep up with CNCC men's basketball on social media at @CnccMbb on "X" (formerly Twitter), at cncc_mbb on Instagram, and on Facebook by searching "CNCC Men's Basketball."
