PRICE, Utah – The Colorado Northwestern Community College Men's Basketball team extended its historic start to the season by winning two games over the weekend inside the gym at Utah State University Eastern.
The Spartans downed previously unbeaten College of Southern Nevada on Friday by a score of 76-63. Saturday brought a 74-61 victory over Jump Start. Sophomore
Cole Johnson led the team by averaging 17.5 points per game over the weekend. Head Coach
Ben Cruickshank's squad is now 12-1 on the season and has won seven straight games. Colorado Northwestern's men also boast the best non-conference record in all of the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC). They lead Snow College (11-1) by half a game and a handful of percentage points. Only Salt Lake Community College has a longer active win streak than CNCC.
Friday night's contest against the Coyotes of Southern Nevada turned into a battle of wills. The squad from Nevada came into the game averaging 102 points per game which ranked #5 in the nation at the time. Colorado Northwestern traveled to Price touting NJCAA's #9-ranked scoring defense – allowing just 58 points per game. A hot start for CNCC put the Spartans in the driver's seat in the battle of a top-five offense and top-10 defense.
Johnson capped Colorado Northwestern's early run by scoring a driving layup on an outlet pass from sophomore
Santiago Casarin. That afforded Coach Cruickshank's squad a 19-4 lead. The Coyote's responded with their own 19-1 surge, claiming a 23-20 advantage with just over eight minutes to play in the first half. Both teams continued trading blows down the stretch before the break.
Carson Forsey pushed CNCC back into the lead with a bucket from behind the arc on a dime from Johnson. Then, with less than four minutes to play, CSN connected on a jumper from the free-throw line and tied the game at 31. They took the lead with a three-pointer from the right wing near the two-minute mark. But, on the very next possession,
Tyler Christensen found
Arthur Videira in the post and the Spartans took the lead for good.
Seven points and four rebounds apiece from Christensen and Videira fueled CNCC's 39-34, halftime lead. That duo passed the baton to Johnson and
Mitch Jeppesen in the second half where the Spartan's never let their lead drop below five points. Colorado Northwestern eventually closed out the win by holding the Coyotes to a season-low 63 points. Johnson finished the game touting 19 points. Jeppesen chipped in 10 points.
Jamir Todd came up with eight points and seven rebounds.
On Saturday, an early deficit against the Jump Start Rebels did little to deter Coach Cruickshank's team. The Rebels clawed to a 29-23 lead with 6:30 remaining in the first half. However, the Spartans found their groove and poured in 19 points before the break. The CNCC defense also held Jump Start to five points over the same span which allowed Colorado Northwestern to carry a 42-34 lead into the locker room. Then, in the following period, the Spartans maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the entire 20 minutes. Videira finished with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Johnson added 16 points and only missed one shot on seven attempts.
Colorado Northwestern's men close non-conference action at home this weekend. The Spartans host Jump Start on Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday brings Mesa Community College to town for a 3 p.m. tipoff at Hefley Arena. Both games will be streamed and available with a subscription to 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."
