LEVELLAND — The South Plains College women's basketball team suffered its first loss in conference play Thursday night, falling to No. 23 New Mexico Junior College 59-42 at the Texan Dome.

The Lady Texans move to 15-8 on the year and 9-1 in league play, and still sit atop the conference standings with four games remaining. South Plains will be on the road Monday in Clarendon at 5:45 p.m., before returning home on Feb. 23 to take on Western Texas on Sophomore Night at the Dome.

"You have to give New Mexico Junior College a lot of credit, they played really well and their coaches had them very well prepared," South Plains head coach Ara Baten said. "They gave us a lot of trouble defensively, and I didn't put us in good positions tonight, and there are a lot of things that I would do differently if I could. Our kids competed and battled, but they were better prepared, and that falls on my shoulders."

South Plains shot 35.4 percent from the field, led by Vitoria Carvalho who netted 12 points and collected six boards coming off the bench. Matilda Soderlund finished with 10 points over 37 minutes, while Celia Sumbane chipped in six boards and snagged six rebounds.

NMJC shot 48.1 percent from the field and was led by Delma Zita, who totaled a game-high 17 points and picked five steals over 40 minutes. Madina Camara tallied 14 points and three boards while Sandra Magolico poured in 10 points to go along with seven rebounds in 37 minutes.

"We have to put this behind us, and we have to go on the road and face a very tough Clarendon team on Monday," Baten said. "We have to forget about this game, and use the time that we have over the next couple of days to prepare for a very good opponent."