LEWISVILLE — The No.3-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team fell to Angelina College 82-69 on Sunday on day two of the Texas East-West Challenge.
Jordan Brangers led the Texans (1-1) in scoring for the second consecutive game with 19 points. Texas Tech commit Deshawn Corprew finished the contest with 17 points, while Isaiah Maurice chipped in 16 points and recorded six blocked shots.
Angelina's De'Vaughn Gauno led all scorers with 28 points, all of which came in the final 20 minutes. Kevin Norman bucketed 14 points for the Roadrunners (3-1), while Isaac Beal added 11 and Gilbert Thomas finished with eight points and 13 boards.
South Plains answered an early 7-2 run from the Roadrunners with an 11-4 run of their own to take a 13-11 lead on a Greg Shead layup with 12:32 remaining in the first half. An Angel Bullock 3-ball put Angelina back on top 24-21 with 5:16 to play before the break. The Texans answered once again and took a 34-32 lead in the locker room at the half.
Gauno had the hot hand in the final 20 minutes as he put the Roadrunners up 49-41 with a trey from the corner with 14:30 to play. Ben Perez brought the Texans back within five with a 3-pointer from the wing with 12:58 left. Angelina would then use a 17-4 run midway through the second half to gain a 70-53 advantage with under six minutes to play. Brangers cut the deficit to nine with a 3 from the wing with 2:07 left, but it wouldn't be enough as the Roadrunners converted at the free throw line late in the contest to escape with the win.
"Basically what it comes down to is having more passion for the game than what we had today," Brangers said. "I think Angelina just wanted it a little more than we did, and I think they played a little bit harder than we did from the tip. Even though we went into the half with the lead, we came out in the second half somewhat casual and that's something we can definitely work on next week."
The Texans will look to bounce back next week when they host the Texan Classic at the Texan Dome in Levelland. South Plains will take on Arizona Western on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m., followed by a matchup with Coastal Bend College on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.