LEVELLAND — The South Plains College men's and women's basketball teams will close out the regular season Thursday when they travel to Odessa for a pair of WJCAC matchups from the OC Sports Center.
After clinching at least a share of the conference crown with a win over Clarendon on Monday, the third-ranked Lady Texans will tip at 5:45 p.m., and can win the conference outright win a victory over the Lady Wranglers.
Ranked ninth in the final NJCAA men's basketball national poll, the Texans can clinch a share of the conference title with a win over No. 7 Odessa. The Texans will tip at 7:30 p.m. and both games will be streaming live at spctexans.com, with Michael Wiiest of KLVT Radio Levelland calling the courtside action with pregame slated for 5:30 p.m.
Currently 6-2 in true road games this season, the Lady Texans have won nine of their last 10, most recently an 82-56 rout of Clarendon College on Monday at the Texan Dome. In their previous matchup with No. 19 Odessa on Jan. 28, South Plains clipped the Lady Wranglers 73-64, shooting over 44 percent from the floor in the contest and recorded 17 points off 12 forced turnovers.
Gabbie Green led all scorers in the contest, racking up 22 points, six assists, and two rebounds. Sarah Shematsi finished with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists, bucketing 7 of 17 attempts and was 6 of 11 from the 3-point line. Sophomore Keke Hunter netted 17 points and 14 boards, dropping in nine of 11 attempts from the charity stripe.
Odessa is 5-2 on their home court and 7-3 in their last 10 outings, falling to No. 9 New Mexico Junior College 67-62 on Monday. Averaging 69.1 points per game and shooting 40.5 percent from the floor, the Lady Wranglers are led by sophomore Kamryn Lemon who leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game and is shooting a 43.5 percent clip from the field.
The Texans bring a 12-3 mark in league play into Thursday night and are 7-3 in true road games this season. Averaging 84.4 points per game and shooting nearly 49 percent from the floor, South Plains is 7-3 in their last 10 outings, including a 107-72 rout of Clarendon on Monday.
South Plains will look to even the series with Odessa after falling to the Wranglers 65-64 in overtime on Jan. 28 at the Dome. The Texans' Gaige Prim led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds while Dejour Joseph totaled 12 points for the Texans. Jonah Antonio and Barrett each had nine points as South Plains shot 41 percent from the floor and 39 percent from long range.
With a 24-5 record including a 13-2 mark in league play, Odessa holds a one-game lead over the Texans in the WJCAC. Averaging 79.2 points per game and shooting 48.5 percent from the hardwood, Odessa has won nine of their last 10 and are 10-0 on their home court. James Reese leads the Wranglers in scoring with 16 points per game and is shooting 52.7 percent from the floor on the year.