LEVELLAND— The South Plains College Lady Texans rode Jasmyne Martin's 14-point five rebound performance to down the Western Texas College Lady Westerners 56-52 Monday night at the Texan Dome.
South Plains (15-8, 3-4) shot over 44 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes while holding the Lady Westerners (14-8, 1-6) to a 21 percent shooting percentage in the first half. Taylor Holley finished the contest with 11 points and four rebounds for the Lady Texans, while Elizabeth Cera had seven points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists.
Ramiah Henry would finish the game with six points and seven boards for South Plains, and Yanina Inkina and Dabraisia Baty each chipped in five points. The Lady Texan' defense forced 23 turnovers over the course of the game while holding the Lady Westerners to an 18 percent shooting average from the 3-point line.
"Unbelievable atmosphere tonight, and we couldn't be more appreciative of South Plains College," head coach Cayla Petree said. "All the students, the track guys, the cheerleaders and the band, they were all unbelievable and really helped us pull out the win down the stretch. They were loud, they were crazy, and they definitely were the sixth man tonight."
The Lady Texans controlled the pace of the game over the first 20 minutes and took a 29-23 lead into the lock room at halftime. South Plains would remain poised in the second half and pushed their lead to as much as 11 points when Holley converted on a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6:34 remaining, giving South Plains a 39-28 cushion.
"Coach did her job to get the crowd here, so it was just up to us to come out and work hard," Holley said. "I think we're on a good path right now, we're building, and we're ready. When we get down, the crowd gave us energy, and tonight, they got us going."
The Lady Westerners would make a late push in the last five minutes of regulation and tie the game at 51, but the Lady Texans answered back and found a way to win, setting up a conference matchup on Thursday night when they travel to Midland, with tipoff set for 5:45 p.m.
"We had lots of effort, lots of hustle plays, and just a really good job overall of communicating and just making those plays that you have to make to win," Petree said. "I thought the girls did it for 40 minutes instead of waiting until the end to do it, and I was just really pleased with our effort and our toughness down the stretch."