Thomas’ big night lifts Tigers to 84-70 road win

Getting 25 points and 17 rebounds from sophomore post player Corey Thomas, the No. 12-ranked Cowley College men's basketball team picked up an 84-70 win at Northwest Kansas Tech on Wednesday in Goodland, KS.

The victory keeps Cowley (17-2) in a tie for first place in the Jayhawk Conference with Barton with a record of 12-1. The Mavericks are now 7-12 overall and 3-10 in the conference.

Leading 47-36 at the end of the first half, Cowley out-scored NW Tech 13-3 to start the second half and led 60-39 following a dunk by sophomore Jeff Nwankwo with 15:33 remaining.

The Tigers were in control the rest of the way and led by as many as 23 points (65-42) in the 14-point road win.

"It is very hard to go to Goodland and win," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "I'm proud of the guys for finding a way."

Thomas went 9-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the foul line to lead four Tigers in double figures.

"CT was big for us," Jackson said. "He controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. It was fun to watch."

Nwankwo added 14 points and seven boards, while freshman Shamarrie Hugie came off the bench to finish with 13 points and six rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Damare Smith also played well, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Cowley doubled the Mavericks on the boards by a margin of 52-26.

Keyishon Miller led NW Tech with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Miller went 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, while the rest of the team combined to make only 11-of-40 shot attempts.

Cowley returns home to face Seward County on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the team's Hall of Fame game. Prior to tipoff, the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be honored.

"It's an exciting opportunity with it being our Hall of Fame game," Jackson said. "It will be great to see several former Tigers back in town, being celebrated, and enjoying a big moment in their athletic career."

Seward County is 6-13 overall and 4-9 in the conference. However, the Saints have won three of their past four contests.

"Seward has been playing really well since they've been back from break," Jackson said. "They are very aggressive and physical. We will have to match that energy."

Box score:

Cowley (84): Jeff Nwankwo 4-8 5-8 14, Arzhonte Dallas 2-11 0-0 4, Damare Smith 4-9 0-0 11, Leslie Owens 2-6 1-2 5, Corey Thomas 9-11 7-9 25, Shamarrie Hugie 6-8 0-0 13, Ajai Flagg 0-0 0-0 0, Avante Nichols 0-3 3-4 3, Marcus Zeigler 4-11 1-5 9, Faustin Phanor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 31-67 17-28 84.

NW Tech (70): Charles Fofanah 2-5 0-0 5, Taiden Conner 3-10 8-12 15, Amar Lane 1-5 0-1 2, Terrance Johnson Jr. 3-5 2-2 11, Dylan Holt 0-0 0-0 0, Keyishon Miller 8-15 6-8 23, Emarquis Jones 0-4 3-6 3, Idris Williams 0-2 2-2 2, Keither Florence 2-7 5-7 9, Anthony Verge 0-2 0-0 0, Kyle Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-55 26-38 70.

Three-pointers: Cowley 5-17 (Smith 3-6, Nwankwo 1-3, Hugie 1-1, Dallas 0-4, Thomas 0-1, Nichols 0-1, Zeigler 0-1), NW Tech 6-12 (Johnson 3-5, Fofanah 1-3, Conner 1-2, Miller 1-2). Rebounds: Cowley 52 (Thomas 17), NW Tech 26 (Miller 10). Assists: Cowley 8 (Smith 3), NW Tech 9 (Conner 5). Turnovers: Cowley 11, NW Tech 9. Total fouls: Cowley 30, NW Tech 23. Fouled out: Nwankwo, Fofanah. Technicals: NW Tech bench.