TONKAWA, Okla. (Interstat) — Northeastern Oklahoma A&M held off a furious second-half rally from Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa for an 86-80 men’s junior college basketball victory Monday night.

The visiting Golden Norseman built a 15-point halftime lead, scoring 43 points in each half. The Mavericks stormed back after the break, outscoring NEO 52-43 in the second half, but could not complete the comeback. The result improved Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to 3-7 this season, while Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa fell to 4-4. The Mavericks had been projected as heavy favorites to win by a national statistical system.