MONACA, PA - It was a career night for Beaver County's Yazid Powell, who tallied 81 points from 35-of-52 shooting in his first collegiate start.
More importantly, it was a tribute to Powell's idol Kobe Bryant who tragically passed away over the weekend in a helicopter accident in California. Bryant famously scored a career-best 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 6, 2006. That mark still stands as the second-best single-game scoring record in NBA history.
As for Powell, the tally of 81 was five points shy of the all-time NJCAA men's basketball mark of 86 points scored by Santa Fe's Johnell Smith Jr. in 2001.
It was more about the sentimental value for the freshman from Philadelphia. Powell, who for the Monday night game wore jersey No. 24, intentionally missed his final free throw attempt to preserve the tribute to his favorite player.
"Tonight I scored 81 points in the honor of my idol, favorite player, and someone who is the reason I started playing basketball[.] This means so much to me[,] I want to thank my teammates and coaches for allowing me to accomplish this." wrote Powell in a tweet on Monday night following the game.
Powell shot 67 percent from the field, including a 7-of-17 mark three-point range. Teammate Rasheed Browne played a major role in the moment, recording 24 assists for the Titans.
Beaver County, which sits at No. 6 in the latest NJCAA DII men's basketball rankings, moved to 18-1 on the season.