Lady Texans set for Region V Tournament in Lubbock

LEVELLAND—Ranked sixth in the country in the latest NJCAA polls, the South Plains College Lady Texans will look to continue their winnings ways at the Region V Tournament on March 8-11 at Frenship High School's Tiger Pit.

South Plains enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed out of the West and will tipoff at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8 against the No. 3 seed out of the North in Ranger College. The Lady Texans have won nine of their last 10 including a 4-0 mark to end the regular season.

South Plains holds three wins over top 25 programs including double-digit wins over then-No.4 New Mexico Junior College and No. 22 Midland College. It's said that defense creates offense which holds true for the Lady Texans as they rank ninth in the country with a 32.6 percent mark in opposing field goal percentage. South Plains is averaging over 70 points per game this season with three players averaging nearly 13 points per contest.

Sophomore Jasauen Beard leads the Lady Texans in scoring as the Midwest City, Oklahoma native is averaging 13.1 points per game. Beard is shooting 47.8 percent from the field on the year and has scored in double-digits 22 times this season. Sophomore Elizabeth Cera is second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game and has knocked down a team-high 73 3-pointers on the year.

Sophomore Yanina Inkina continues to be a catalyst for the Lady Texans' offensive attack as the 6-foot-1 sophomore from Belarus is averaging 12.9 points per game and is shooting a team-high 53.4 percent from the field. Brittany Smith has been nothing short of magnificent facilitating the basketball and running the Lady Texans' offensive attack as the sophomore from Houston is averaging 9.9 points per game and has racked up a team-high 114 assists.

Ranger comes into Wednesday's matchup with a record of 17-13 including an 8-6 mark in conference play. The Lady Rangers have won five of their last six and are led by sophomore Shaylan Coleman and freshman Brynae Thompson. Coleman leads the Lady Rangers in scoring with 12.2 points per game and is shooting 49 percent from this field on the year. Thompson is averaging nine points per game this season and is shooting 83 percent from the charity stripe.

Should the Lady Texans come out victorious on Wednesday, they will await a matchup with either Western Texas, the No. 4 seed out of the West, or Collin County, the No. 1 seed out of the North. You can watch the Lady Texans compete for a Regional crown at www.psblive.tv, or by visiting spctexans.com and using the 'Watch Games' tab at the of the page. You can also find tournament brackets by visiting spctexans.com and navigating to the 'Region 5' tournament tab at the top of the page.

Region V Brackets: http://static.psbin.com/o/q/1tbv4cqe08ak4x/Regional_Brackets_Combined_.pdf