HOBBS, N.M.—The fifth-ranked South Plains College Lady Texans fell to the No. 7 New Mexico Junior College Lady Thunderbirds 70-61 on Thursday night at the Caster Activity Center.

Jasauen Beard led the Lady Texans offensively with 16 points and three steals in 30 minutes of action. Brittany Smith bucketed 15 points and four boards for South Plains (17-3, 2-2) while Yanina Inkina chipped in 10 points over 25 minutes.

Alarie Marze led the Lady Thunderbirds(13-4, 2-1) with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and Daiane Machado scored 15 points and corralled 10 rebounds over 35 minutes. Ekaterina Zhibareva posted 13 points for New Mexico and Laurynn McGowen pitched in with 11.

South Plains would go on to shoot 38 percent from the field and 21 percent from the perimeter in the contest. The Lady Texans forced 19 turnovers resulting in 20 points on the offensive end, but struggled to create second chances with the Lady Thunderbirds posting a 42-13 advantage in rebounds.

The Lady Texans trailed 39-30 after twenty minutes of action before coming out of the break and outscoring the Lady Thunderbirds 16-11 in the third quarter. New Mexico was able to shift the momentum back in their favor over the last 10 minutes and shot 47 percent in the final stint while forcing the Lady Texans to shoot just 28 percent in the final minutes.

The Lady Texans will look to get back to their winning ways when they play host to Howard College on Jan. 19 on Holiday Inn Night at the Texan Dome. Tipoff is slated for 5:45 p.m.