LEVELLAND, Texas— Elizabeth Cera scored 25 points while Jasauen Beard chipped in 22 as the South Plains College Lady Texans downed Dallas Diesel 81-71 Friday night at the Texan Dome.

Beard also hauled in 16 rebounds and dished out three assists while Yanina Inkina finished the contest with 16 points and four boards. Brittany Smith totaled nine points and nine assists in 34 minutes while Felicia Jackson scored six points for South Plains.

"We came out knowing they were good and we had to play hard and play smart," Beard said. "We came out crashing the boards and hustling all over the floor and that's when we got our energy going. I'm trying to lead by example, not just scoring, but on defense and trying to get rebounds. I'm just trying to produce in all areas."

South Plains shot 43 percent from the field in the first half while forcing Dallas Diesel to shoot just 31 percent from the floor. Beard tallied 14 of her 22 points inside the first 20 minutes while also hauling in 11 rebounds.

South Plains carried a 37-34 lead into the locker room at the midway point and continued to find success on the offensive side of the ball in the final two quarters, shooting 42 percent from the floor including 4-for-10 from the 3-point line.

"Tonight was all about having a strong mentality, because it was important to us to win this game, Inkina said. "We have played them before last season, so we just wanted to fight and we figured out how to beat them. We were shooting with a lot of confidence which helped us get the win tonight."

Following a third quarter in which both teams managed to total 18 points, the Lady Texans came out with a vengeance in the final stint, outscoring Dallas Diesel 26-19 in the fourth quarter to pick up their fourth consecutive win in as many games.

"Our first game was kind of a slap in the face to us," Beard said. "We knew we had to work on a lot of things and kind of got a reality check. We have to come out with the same intensity tomorrow and not underestimate anybody. Our scouting reports have been good, and we have to have that same fighters' mentality again tomorrow."

South Plains will tipoff at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Texan dome against the Phoenix College Lady Bears. You can watch the game live at spctexans.com using the 'Watch Games' tab at the top of the page.