#1 Lady Texans, Texans host Clarendon Thursday on Think Pink Night at the Texan Dome

LEVELLAND — The South Plains College men's and women's basketball teams will play on their home court for the first time since Jan. 20 following a four-game road stint when they host Clarendon College on Thursday on Think Pink Night at the Texan Dome sponsored by Covenant Hospital of Levelland.

The Lady Texans will tip at 5:45 p.m. followed by the men's game at 7:30. Both contests will stream live at spctexans.com and can be heard on KLVT Radio Levelland with Michael Wiiest calling the courtside action.

The top-ranked Lady Texans come in with a record of 25-0 and sit atop the WJCAC with a 9-0 mark and are a perfect 11-0 on their home court this season. Ranked in the top five nationally in three defensive categories, South Plains has picked up wins over Frank Phillips, Odessa, Howard, and Western Texas in their last four games.

Averaging 81.2 points per game and shooting over 50 percent from the floor, the Lady Texans pounded Western Texas 86-51 on Monday night in Snyder as sophomore Sarah Shematsi led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Asia McCoy poured in 15 boards and corralled eight rebounds, five on the offensive end as South Plains shot a 46.4 percent clip from the floor and knocked down seven 3s against the Lady Westerners.

Ruth Koang went off for 14 points and five rebounds while also dishing out a season-high five assists and swatted two shots over 23 minutes. Ka'Lia Smith provided 11 points and five rebounds coming off the bench, shooting 4 of 10 from the field while Johanna Teder poured in 10 points, snagged four boards and handed out three assists over 32 minutes.

In their last meeting with Clarendon on Jan. 6, South Plains routed the Lady Bulldogs 86-44 behind Koang's 17 points and 10 boards. Averaging just 63.3 points per game and shooting 36.4 percent from the field on the year, Clarendon comes in with a record of 13-11 on the year and is 0-8 in league play.

The Texans head into Thursday night as winners of six straight in league play and are a game behind Clarendon for the conference lead. Currently 16-6 overall and 8-2 in the WJCAC, South Plains bested Western Texas 64-55 on Thursday behind Rivaldo Soares' 21 points and six boards.

Soares finished 10 of 25 from the field over 40 minutes as the 6-7 freshman from Boston tallied double figures for the fifth straight game against the Westerners. Freddie De La Cruz recorded his second double-double in as many games, totaling 15 points and 11 boards, five coming on the offensive end as the Texans shot a 41 percent clip from the floor against the Westerners.

Paul Person netted 12 points including a pair of crucial 3s in the second half to go along with five rebounds and was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Jevonnie Scott scored 12 points coming off the bench for the Texans and also hauled in eight rebounds and hit a pair of 3s in the contest.

In their previous matchup on Jan. 6, the No. 10-ranked Bulldogs got by South Plains 73-66 at the Bulldog Gymnasium. Averaging just over 88.1 points per game, Clarendon is shooting 50 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3 as the bring an overall record of 21-2 into the contest and are 9-1 in the WJCAC.