SOUTHERN NEVADA HOSTS COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN IN JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — The Southern Nevada Coyotes look to climb above .500 when they host the winless Community Christian Saints in a men’s junior college basketball game on Thursday.

The Coyotes (2-2) enter the contest following a 19-day layoff. Their last outing was a 101-82 road victory over Colorado Northwestern on Nov. 22. Southern Nevada’s season has been marked by volatility, sandwiching a 97-61 loss to Utah State Eastern between two games against Colorado Northwestern. They fell 103-73 on Nov. 1 before securing the 102-93 and 101-82 wins in the subsequent meetings.

Community Christian (0-5) continues a difficult road trip seeking its first victory of the season. The Saints are coming off a 85-70 loss at Yavapai on Dec. 6. Their season has been defined by defensive struggles, allowing an average of 96.2 points per game across their five contests. Offensive production has been inconsistent, with the team failing to score more than 71 points in any game this season.

This matchup begins a rare two-game, same-site series between the teams, with a second game scheduled for Saturday at the same venue.

Southern Nevada will aim to capitalize on its rest and home court advantage. The extended break could either provide fresh legs or lead to early rust.

For Community Christian, the challenge is to find a consistent defensive rhythm and scoring balance to break into the win column. The Saints’ arduous early schedule, featuring games against Arizona Western, Cochise and Yavapai, has provided little respite.

Thursday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. local time.