#8 Owls Upset #4 Northampton to Kick Off 2023 Campaign

The 8^th ranked Prince George's Community College men's basketball team kicked off the 2023-24 season in elite fashion, defeating the 4^th ranked Northampton Spartans on the road 89-75, earning the Owls their second consecutive season with a victory over a nationally recognized Northampton program in their season opener. 

The Owls found themselves in control 17-4 after 7 minutes of action behind strong play on both sides of the ball, especially on defense as they held the Spartans to 18% (2-11) shooting from the floor while causing four turnovers. After a few missed shots from the Owls led to Northampton points in transition, Prince George's quickly saw the score flip as the Spartans went on a run of their own and took a 27-21 lead, their largest of the game, with under four minutes remaining in the half. Even play down the stretch made it appear as the two top-ten programs were headed into halftime with a 33-33 deadlock before a Jasir Tremble (Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt) halfcourt heave found the nylon and sent Prince George's into the break with the momentum behind their three-point lead.

Tremble's energy didn't quite carry the team into the second half as the two squads went back-and-forth trading baskets before the Owls pieced together a 12-1 run a few minutes into the half and regain a 48-40 lead. The Spartans managed to cut their deficit to as few as four during one point in the half, but the Owls offense seemed to be unable to miss as they shortly later distanced themselves from Northampton by double-digit points once again.

Efficient shooting all over the floor allowed Prince George's to go up by as much as 20 with 1:27 left in the game while Northampton couldn't get the lid off the basket from deep to close in. The Spartans hit their only three pointer of the contest with the game already out of reach as time expired while the Owls shot nearly 42% (13-31) from deep as part of a balanced attack.

The Owls were led by the sophomore Tremble who finished with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists as he packed the box score. Fellow sophomore Saveon Jackson (Kentland, MD/KIPP College Prep) played like his 2021-22 All-American self after missing all of 2022-23 with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals, and 6 assists as well in his return in an Owls uniform. Freshman Albert Mouring (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) added 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc to round out the scoring leaders for Prince George's.

The Owls have another divisional game coming up on Wednesday, November 8^th against Camden County in their home opener at Novak Field House. Tip-off has been moved up to 5 PM after the cancellation of the originally scheduled doubleheader featuring the women's teams.