NOC remained a half game behind Murray in the Region 2 standings with an 89-67 win over Connors Monday night at Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.

The 10th ranked Mavs (13-1) improved to 8-1 in conference play.  Connors (11-3) dropped to 7-3 in conference.

NOC built a 16 point first half lead over the Cowboys taking a 41-30 edge into the dressing room.

The Mavs slowly pulled away from the Cowboys winning 89-67.

Tyrel Morgan led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds.  Avante Lederer added 16 points while Nate Goodlow added 14.  JD Ray had 12 points and seven assists.

"I was really proud of our energy last night," said coach Donnie Jackson.  "We came out with a different mindset than we have had in a few games from an energy standpoint. We really guarded, we shared the ball and to me, that's why we had better success last night offensively.  Connors is a very physical team. They rebound really well. I thought we did a good job of limiting them to one and done and trying to make it tough on Ealy when we drove the ball. He is a really good player and you have to be locked in at all times on him."

The Mavs travel to El Reno Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tip against Redlands.

"Now it's time to refocus back on Redlands," Jackson said.  "We need to be way better than we were Saturday against them. El Reno is a tough place to play and Redlands has a lot of offensive weapons. We need to bring the same energy we did last night on the road Thursday. Every game is starting to matter more and more in the conference standings."

Mavs 89, Connors 67

                 1     2--Total

Connors    30    37-- 67

Mavs        41    48-- 89

Mavs--T. Morgan 23, A. Lederer 16, N. Goodlow 14, J. Ray 12, D. McLean 7, S. Grisby 6, C. Dennis 4, D. Alexander 3, M. Berry 2, K. Sesberry 2, J. Wilson 1.