Lady Texans extend win streak to nine games, down West Texas Drive 64-59 Sunday at the Texan Dome

LEVELLAND — Trailing 53-43 as the clock dwindled down in the third quarter, Mikayla Kuehne sank a 3 from the top of the key to cut the deficit to seven entering the final 10 minutes.  

That shot proved to be crucial for the No. 16 Lady Texans as they overcame a double-digit second half deficit to down West Texas Drive 64-59 on Sunday at the Texan Dome to extend their win streak to nine games.

Leading by two with under a minute to play, Kuehne would connect on another 3, this time from the wing as the shot clock expired to ice the game as South Plains improved to 9-1 on the year.  Kuehne finished the contest with a team-high 17 points including five 3s over 26 minutes.

Christina Baker chipped in 12 points and 10 boards for the orange and blue and Gabbie Green totaled 10 points and four rebounds. West Texas Drive' Aisha Martin led all scorers with 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. Sharon Beam finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three steals for West Texas Drive, while Lauren Abbott totaled seven points and four boards in 31 minutes.

With South Plains leading 38-34 at the midway point, Beam hit a pair of free throws with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter to cap a 10-0 run that gave West Texas Drive a 49-39 lead.

Trailing 53-46 entering the fourth after being outscored 19-8 in the third quarter, South Plains came roaring back as they cut the deficit to just two on a 3-ball from Gabbie Green with 5:17 to play.

Following a pair of free throws from Baker that tied the game at 57 apiece with 2:36 left in regulation, Kuehne connected with a trey from the elbow, putting South Plains up 60-57.

Martin brought West Texas Drive within one, 60-59 with a free throw with 1:36 left, but it wouldn't be enough as Chelsea Hunter hit one of two free throws that put the Lady Texans up two before Kuehne found the bottom of the next with four seconds left.  

South Plains shot just 33 percent from the floor and 30 percent from behind the arc. West Texas Drive didn't fare much better as they posted a 38 percent shooting mark from the field and committed 25 turnovers in the contest.

South Plains will look to push its win streak to 10 games on Tuesday when they tipoff against Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely, Colorado on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m.