LEVELLAND — The South Plains College men's and women's basketball teams return to the hardwood on Monday night as they play host to Midland College on Hockley County School Employees Credit Union Night at the Texan Dome.
The Lady Texans will tip at 5:45 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30. HCSECU will be serving a complimentary fajita dinner for all SPC employees and their families beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the Dome floor. At halftime of each game, Russell Vest of HCSECU will be giving away three (3) $100.00 cash prizes to SPC employees in attendance (must be present to win). Both games will be streaming live at spctexans.com with pregame set for 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Texans come in with a perfect unblemished mark of 20-0 on the year and sit atop the WJCAC standings with a 4-0 record in league play. Ranked second in the country in the latest NJCAA national poll, South Plains is averaging over 82 points per game and defeated No. 6 New Mexico Junior College 65-58 in overtime on Jan. 13 at the Dome.
Midland is currently 13-4 on the year and 3-1 in the WJCAC, as they have won four of their last 5 including a 77-32 rout of Howard on Jan. 16. Ranked 18th in the country to date, Midland is averaging just under 70 points per game and shooting 40.6 percent from the floor. The Lady Texans come in as one of the top defensive programs in the country and will look to slow down Ella Tofaeono who leads Midland in scoring, averaging just over 15 points per game and is shooting 48.7 percent from the floor.
The Texans come in 11-6 on the year and 2-2 in the WJCAC after defeating New Mexico Junior College 61-53 on Jan. 13 at the Dome. Paul Person scored a season-high 22 points, finishing a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor and was 3-for-3 from the perimeter over 21 minutes. Yuot Gai chipped in 11 points and snagged eight rebounds, six on the defensive end, finishing 4 of 7 from the field and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Junior Farquhar netted nine points and six rebounds for the Texans while Benjamin Bayela had nine points and five boards.
Midland is 10-9 on the season and has won three straight, snapping a five-game skid. Averaging just over 67.2 points per game with a record of 3-2 in the WJCAC, the Chaparrals defeated Howard College 60-55 in their last outing on Jan. 16. Midland is led by sophomore guard Derrick Ogechi who leads the Chaparrals on the offensive end with 13.4 points per game, shooting just over 47 percent from the floor.
Following Monday's contest, South Plains will travel to Borger on Thursday to take on Frank Phillips College, followed by a trip to Odessa on Jan. 27. Both games will stream live at spctexans.com and will be broadcast live on KLVT Radio Levelland AM1230.