ENID, Okla. (Interstat) — Connors State held off a furious Northern Oklahoma-Enid rally for an 85-81 men’s junior college basketball victory Thursday night.

The Cowboys built a 14-point halftime lead, scoring 45 points in the opening period. The Jets surged after halftime, outscoring Connors State 50-40 in the second half but fell just short. KeJuan Payne led all scorers with 21 points for Northern Oklahoma-Enid in the loss.

Connors State improved to 12-7. Northern Oklahoma-Enid dropped to 11-11.