Lady Texans earn No. 1 national ranking for first time in program history
LEVELLAND — Sporting a 22-1 record including a 7-0 mark in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, the South Plains College women’s basketball team has reached the pinnacle of the NJCAA Div. I women’s basketball national poll, earning a No. 1 ranking on Tuesday for the first time in program history.
LEVELLAND — Sporting a 22-1 record including a 7-0 mark in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, the South Plains College women's basketball team has reached the pinnacle of the NJCAA Div. I women's basketball national poll, earning a No. 1 ranking on Tuesday for the first time in program history.
South Plains has won 19 straight games dating back to Nov. 10, including four wins over top 25 programs. The Lady Texans hold victories over No. 15 Odessa College, No. 16 New Mexico Junior College, No. 21 Cochise College, and No. 22 Midland College.
The Lady Texans rank 12th in the country in scoring with 83.7 points per game and second in the country in field goal percentage, shooting a 50.2 percent clip from the floor. South Plains has also proven to be one of the top defensive teams in the NJCAA, allowing just 49.5 points per game on the year, which ranks third nationally.
South Plains has four players averaging double-digit scoring figures, including sophomore Keke Hunter who leads the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. Hunter's 114 offensive rebounds rank fourth nationally and also ranks ninth in the country with 229 total boards.
Sarah Shematsi and Gabbie Green continue to produce for the Lady Texans on the offensive end, with Shematsi averaging 13.8 points per game, while Green is shooting over 50 percent from the floor on the year while averaging 13.7 points per game.
The Lady Texans sit atop the WJCAC standings to date and will look to extend their win streak to 20 games on Thursday when they travel to Midland for a 5:45 p.m. tip at the Chaparral Center.