HUTCHINSON, Kansas — Following a 91-71 win over Highland Community College on Monday in the opening round of the 2018 NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament, the No. 13-seed South Plains College men's basketball team will square off with the fourth-seeded Salt Lake Community College Bruins on Wednesday at noon at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
South Plains improved to 24-8 on the season with Monday's victory and come into Wednesday's Sweet 16 matchup as winners of eight of their last nine. 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Isaiah Maurice led all scorers with 22 points against the Cougars, his fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points and his 19th double-digit scoring performance this season.
Averaging 91.5 points per game in their last four outings, South Plains shot 51.5 percent from the floor against Highland including 10 3s as they placed five players in double-digit scoring figures. The Texans dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 43-28 and scored 38 points in the paint while forcing Highland to shoot just 41 percent from the floor in the contest and 29 percent from the 3-point line.
South Plains will look to slow down a Bruin offense who is averaging 90 points per game this season and shooting 49.1 percent from the field on the year. Boasting a 30-3 record on the year, Salt Lake is led by sophomore guard Bushmen Ebet who is averaging 14.5 points per game, shooting 48.7 percent from the field this season. Sophomore Christian Gray is averaging 13 points and a team-high 5.3 rebound per game for Salt Lake including an 18-point performance in the Bruins' 89-86 win over Arizona Western in the District One title game on March 10.
Wednesday's matchup will be streaming live via NJCAA TV and can be accessed by visiting spctexans.com and clicking on the 'Watch Games' tab at the top of the page. The game will also be broadcast live on KLVT Radio Levelland as Michael Wiiest will call the courtside action with pregame set for 11:30 p.m.
Should the Texans come out victorious on Wednesday, they will await a matchup with either No. 5-seed Coffeyville or No. 12-seed Connors State on Thursday at 6 p.m. Coffeyville and Connors State play at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Tournament Bracket: http://static.psbin.com/c/r/8mbi9hdnd6w0yi/2017-18_DI_MBB_Champ_-_Bracket_-.pdf
Watch live: http://www.njcaatv.com/landing/index