The loss drops South Plains to 8-18 overall and 5-5 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC). New Mexico remains the conference leader with a 24-3 overall record and sit at 8-1 in conference play.


South Plains played New Mexico tough in the first half, jumping out to a 7-1 lead early before eventually heading to halftime trailing by seven, 26-19.

The second half was not kind to the Lady Texans as they found themselves in their first double-digit hole in the opening minute and trailed by 17 by the midway point. New Mexico led by as many as 29 points in the game.

Despite the loss, the Lady Texans still remain 11/2 games ahead of Western Texas College for fourth place in the WJCAC standings. The Lady Westerners fell to Midland 75-50 Monday night in Midland. 

One Lady Texan win coupled with a Western Texas loss would guarantee South Plains a berth into next month's Region 5 tournament in Lubbock. The Lady Texans host Western Texas in their home and regular season finale Monday, February 27.

First, the Lady Texans must travel to Big Spring where they will face the Howard (16-11, 2-7) College Lady Hawks Thursday, February 23 at the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum. South Plains defeated Howard - who has already been eliminated from post-season play - 43-36 at the Texan Dome January 30. 

Live video of Thursday's action will be broadcast live at www.spctexans.com. KLVT 1230 AM will provide live audio that can also be accessed at www.klvtradio.com. KLVT's Michael Wiiest will call the courtside action for both broadcasts. Game time is set for a 7:45 p.m. tip-off.

New Mexico (24-3, 8-1)
Stephanie Lopez 0-0 0-0 0, Kya Degarmo 0-7 0-0 0, Brianna Jones 1-2 0-0 3, Stacie Telles 7-12 2-2 20, Marta Oledzka 0-1 0-0 0, Perez Waleska 1-4 0-0 3, Valerie Barriga 4-8 0-1 9, Markia Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Te'onna Campbell 4-11 1-2 9, Adrianna Leatherbury 1-1 0-0 2, Honor Duvall 5-13 7-10 17. Totals 23-60 10-15 63

South Plains College (8-18, 5-5)
Raely Parada 1-5 0-0 2, Avril Matthews 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley Roberts 1-9 0-3 2, Moneeka Carter 0-2 0-0 0, Lakeeyscia Griffin 1-5 0-0 2, Shea Myatt 5-11 0-0 13, Sydney Hearn 5-8 3-4 13, Stephanie Moore 5-11 2-3 12. Totals 18-51 5-10 44

SCORE BY PERIODS 1st 2nd TOTAL
New Mexico 26 37 63
South Plains College 19 25 44

FG%: New Mexico .383, South Plains College .353. 3-pt FG:New Mexico 7-16 (Degarmo 0-3, Jones 1-2, Telles 4-7, Waleska 1-2, Barriga 1-2), South Plains College 3-17 (Parada 0-4, Roberts 0-5, Carter 0-1, Griffin 0-1, Myatt 3-6). Rebounds: New Mexico 29 (Duvall 7), South Plains College 43 (Moore 15). Fouls New Mexico 14, South Plains College 14. Fouled out: none. Technical: none. Assists: New Mexico 16 (Degarmo 4), South Plains College 12 (Matthews 3). Steals: New Mexico 10 (Campbell 6), South Plains College 3 (Matthews 1, Myatt 1, Hearn 1). Blocked shots: New Mexico 7 (Campbell 3), South Plains College 0. Turnovers: New Mexico 7, South Plains College 23.