Box Score IOLA, Kan. — Two free throws by Northeastern A&M sophomore guard Ja'mill Powell with no time showing on the game clock rallied the Golden Norsemen to a 78-77 victory Thursday night over Allen Community College before a partisan crowd in the Red Devils Gymnasium.


Both teams entered the game with three-game winning streaks in place. Coach Dustin Grover's Golden Norsemen enter Christmas break with a 10-4 season record while second year head coach Andy Shaw has guided the Allen Red Devils to a 9-5 overall mark.
NEO returns to campus Jan. 2 and begins a 15-game OCAC schedule on Jan. 9 by hosting arch-rival Connors State College at 8 p.m. in the NEO Field House.
"We should have nine or 10 practice sessions once we get back to prepare us for Connors," Grover said. "All the games in the second semester will be important to us."
The Golden Norsemen built a 24-11 lead midway through the first half before the Red Devils used a zone defense to create some turnovers and cut the deficit to 34-33 at halftime.
Four straight points by Courtney Stockard and Josh Sweet propelled the Red Devils to a 41-39 margin in the first five minutes of the second half.
"It looked like we weren't going to be able to catch them as we traded baskets right up until the end," Grover said. "But as Ja'mill attempted a short jump shot with time running out, he was fouled by Alex Miller as the buzzer sounded."
Powell and freshman center Igor Ibaka combined for 23 total points each to lead the Golden Norse in scoring. Ibaka added a double-double with 13 rebounds while Powell collected seven boards. Guards Christian Leach and Derrick Frye contributed 10 points each for NEO.
Sweet paced the Red Devils with 17 total points while Stockard finished with 13.