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Western Texas College freshman C.J. Smith scored 25 points in the Westerners’ 84-70 win over Odessa College Monday.
The Western Texas College men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to three with an 84-70 win over Odessa College Monday.
Freshman C.J. Smith led the way with 25 points, and sophomores Darius Mickens and Tafari Simms both put together solid performances. The Westerners improved to 6-7 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) play.
WTC opened with back-to-back Smith and Mickens’ 3-pointers to take the early 6-0 lead. Simms scored his first four points and WTC led 10-3 after three minutes of play.
Odessa battled back, putting together a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to tie the game at 10-10.
A Carson Hammond 3-pointer put WTC back on top and kicked off a 10-2 run that put WTC ahead 19-14 heading into the final 10 minutes of the half.
The Westerners continued to extend their lead as Simms hit his first 3-pointer and scored five straight points, but Odessa pulled within a point thanks to a quick 7-0 run with just five minutes left in the half. Smith answered, hitting his second and third 3-pointer and scoring 10 points in just over a minute, putting WTC up 36-26. They held on to lead 45-35 at the half.
WTC continued to score from deep in the second half.
Smith and Mickens opened up the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers. Smith, Mickens and freshman Jaylen O’Conner combined to connect on five 3-pointers and Simms added another eight points as WTC held off the Wranglers for the 84-70 victory.
WTC improved to 19-8 on the year and 6-7 in WJCAC play, and remains in fifth place in the WJCAC standings. The Westerners will host New Mexico Military Institute at 6:30 p.m. Thursday before finishing the season on the road at Howard College Monday.
WTC statistics: C.J. Smith, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists; Tafari Simms, 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists; Darius Mickens, 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists; Jaylen O’Conner, 9 points, 1 steal; Ben Smith, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block; Carson Hammond, 3 points, 1 rebound; Leland Kirkendoll, 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds; Donovan Reagan, 1 point, 3 assists, 2 steals; Steven Allison, 4 rebounds, 1 assist.