BROWN HAS 16 POINTS IN NORTHEAST LOSS TO NO. 3 KIRKWOOD

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community College men's basketball team welcomed No. 3 Kirkwood Community College to the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk Saturday on a quest for their fifth-straight victory. The Hawks fell in the matchup by a final score of 78-70.

Northeast (7-15, 4-11 ICCAC) trailed by 21 points with 10:11 left on the clock in the matchup but slowly chipped away throughout the second half. Luke Brown (Hobart, Australia) scored a season-high 16 points while Vincent Garrett (Lincoln, Neb.) tallied 14 points coming off of his 38-point performance Thursday night against No. 24 Iowa Lakes Community College. Two free throws from Garrett with 3:18 remaining in the showdown cut the deficit to just three points, but that was the closet the Hawks would get as they now will look ahead to a crucial week for postseason positioning with just three games remaining in the regular season.

STAT SHEET:

Luke Brown (Hobart, Australia): 16 PTS, 2 REB, AST

Vincent Garrett (Lincoln, Neb.): 14 PTS, 3 REB, 5 STL

Chase Williams (Omaha, Neb.): 13 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Head Men's Basketball Coach Josh Clark on the impressive recovery from his team to battle back Saturday:

"Luke and Vincent both had great games today," Clark said. "Other guys stepped up. That's a good team. We came back from down 21 and cut it to three late. We needed a rebound that we just couldn't come up with, and things rolled their way. For us, we can still take away some positives and we were right there at the end. It was a confidence thing. Our guys didn't quit and didn't stop fighting."

Clark on the weekend ahead and his message as the postseason nears:

"We are looking forward to Iowa Central," Clark said. "They are a good team and a fast team. It will be tough to play there. One game at a time. We are going to keep fighting."

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will battle Iowa Central Community College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

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