Southwestern Community College men's basketball continued its January surge Wednesday night, holding off Northeast Community College, 86–82, at the Cox Activities Center to secure its sixth win in the last seven games.

The Spartans leaned heavily on efficient perimeter shooting and timely defensive toughness to earn the ICCAC road victory. Southwestern shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from three-point range and finished the night at 51.9 percent overall from the field, building a slim four-point halftime lead before withstanding a late Northeast push.

Three Spartans eclipsed the 20-point mark, led by Justine De La Cruz, who posted 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while going a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Theo Alexandersson Ohnell added 22 points of his own, knocking down six three-pointers and dishing out six assists to go with three rebounds. Alec Belter followed closely with 21 points, hitting five triples and contributing three assists and three rebounds.

Michael Smith anchored the interior with a strong rebounding effort, pulling down a game-high 13 boards to go with eight points, helping the Spartans finish with a 28–37 rebounding margin against the Hawks.

Southwestern led 42–34 at the break but had to weather a strong second half from Northeast, which was paced by Johanes Piscikas' 39-point performance. Despite some early turnovers, the Spartans maintained composure down the stretch, converting key shots and defensive stops to preserve the lead.

"We started out with some bad turnovers in the first half, but our three-point shooting kept us ahead," said head coach Darryl Fletcher. "I really love the toughness we showed on defense today overall. We are moving and sharing on offense—just have to watch turnovers. A good, gritty win by my guys."

The win improves Southwestern to 8–12 overall and 4–7 in ICCAC play, continuing a stretch of confident basketball as the calendar turns toward February.

The Spartans will look to keep the momentum going Saturday when they travel to Boone, Iowa, to face Des Moines Area Community College. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.