EDMOND, OK — The eighth-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team tipped off the season in a big way Friday, ousting No. 15 Navarro College 70-55 in their season opener at the Juco Elite 8 on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma.

The Texans will be back on the hardwood Saturday afternoon in a 2 p.m. matchup against Missouri State University-West Plains. The contest will stream live at spctexans.com.

South Plains placed three in double figures on the offensive end as Chance Moore chipped in 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting in 23 minutes of action. Rivaldo Soares poured in 13 points and snagged five rebounds, bucketing 3 of 6 attempts from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line over 22 minutes.

Philmon Gebrewhit dropped in 13 points in his first outing in a Texan uniform, knocking down 4 of 7 shots from the hardwood including a 4 of 6 mark from behind the arc. South Plains received 31 points from the bench and dropped in 15 points on fast breaks as they raced to a 32-22 lead at the half.

Posting a 38.5 percent clip from the field in the first 20 minutes, the Texans found their stroke in the second half, shooting 52.4 percent from the floor including a 5 of 9 mark from the perimeter, and dropped in 11 of 14 free throw opportunities. The Texan defense held the Bulldogs to a 34.5 percent shooting clip over 40 minutes as Navarro was just 5 of 25 from the 3-point line in the contest.

Akol Mawain led the Bulldogs with 17 points coming off the bench, netting 6 of 10 shots from the field while German Kasanzi finished with 10 points and Souleymane Doumbia totaled nine points and four boards.