SPC basketball teams open conference play Saturday at Texan Dome
LEVELLAND – The South Plains College Texan and Lady Texan basketball teams will begin conference play Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7, 2013, when they host Western Texas College at the Texan Dome.
Tip off is set for 1 p.m. for the ladies game and 3 p.m. for the men's game. Live video of the action can be found at www.spctexans.com with the crew from SPC TV calling the action. Fans can also listen over the air on KLVT 1230 AM with Michael Wiiest on the call.
Best Western South Plains Inns and Suites is the game sponsor.
The Texans (11-0) have been playing really well coming out of the and will enter their conference opener with an undefeated record where they look to avenge a 62-54 loss to the Westerners the last time the two teams met Feb. 14 in Snyder.
Entering his 14th season at the helm, Texan head coach Steve Green holds an 11-3 edge over Western Texas since he became head coach of the Texans prior to the 2000 season.
Ranked second in the latest NJCAA polls released Dec. 4, South Plains sports a deep and experienced team with nine sophomores on the roster, including 2013 WJCAC Honorable Mention selection Ryan Martin.
Martin is off to a good start, averaging 13.4 points and nine rebounds per contest through nine games played, but he is also receiving ample support from his teammates as four others are averaging double-figures through the early stages of the season.
Freshman Andre Spight is leading the way for the Texans with 14.4 points per contest while also averaging just under 30 minutes per game. Spight has scored 20 or more points on three occasions, including a 26-point affair Nov. 16 when the Texans pasted Seward County 76-57.
The Texans are getting 13.4 points per game from sophomore Roderick Lawrence, nearly seven points better than his season average of 6.7 a year ago as a freshman. Lawrence has started in each of the Texans 11 games, playing about 28 minutes per game. In his last outing, Lawrence led the Texans to a 71-52 victory over Weatherford College, scoring a game high 21 points that included a couple of acrobatic dunks.
Coming off the bench in a big way is Billydee Williams, a sophomore transfer from Iowa Western. Williams has led the Texans in scoring three times this season. Williams paved the way for a Texan victory with 29 points against Collin County Nov. 23 at the Texan Dome and also scored 27 points in a narrow victory Nov. 2 against Paris. Williams has made 29-of-72 (.403) 3-point field goals in 11 games this season.
At 12-2, the Westerners are off to a similar start from a year ago that saw them ultimately finish 14-16 overall and 4-12 in the WJCAC. However, in their two losses, they were defeated by Collin County by only a point and took fourth-ranked Hutchinson to overtime where they also lost by only a point.
"I think this is going to be one of the better Western Texas teams we've seen in quite some time," Texan head coach Steve Green recently told KLVT Radio's Michael Wiiest. "I'm expecting a team that is going to come in here thinking they can win. They've been to some good places and have played extremely well."
Western Texas defeated a feisty New Mexico Military squad 78-72 in their conference opener Dec. 4.
The Lady Texans will enter their first WJCAC contest attempting to snap a five game losing streak. South Plains (3-6) was defeated by Cisco 55-46 and have not tasted victory since a win Nov. 11 at the Texan Dome.
Last season, the Lady Texans tied with New Mexico and Midland for the conference championship and ultimately earned the No. 1 seed to the Region 5 tournament due to 'power' points.
With the return of All-Conference guards Alexius Dawn and TaSheena Moore, the Lady Texans are hoping to push for another conference crown.
Moore is once again leading the way for the Lady Texans, scoring nearly 16 points per game. Dawn has averaged 12 along with four rebounds and four assists while sophomore Jasmine Brainard has been a major contributor with 14.6 points per game.
The Lady Texans can get their title defense off to a good start with a victory over Western Texas Saturday. The Lady Westerners finished 9-21 overall last season and only 2-12 in conference to play to finish eighth in the league standings and are only 2-4 through six games in 2013.
Following Saturday's conference contest, the Texans and Lady Texans will enjoy time away from the court for final exams and Christmas vacation.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2013 | 1 p.m. Lady Texans, 3 p.m. Texans
Location: Texan Dome | Levelland, Texas
Radio: KLVT Radio 1230 AM | Michael Wiiest
Video: www.spctexans.com | SPC TV
Live Stats: www.spctexans.com
Rankings: Texans No. 2
Coaches: Steve Green (Career: 488-134 in 20th season; SPC: 334-91 in 14th season; 11-3 vs WTC)
Michelle Wyatt (Career: 182-70 in 9th season at SPC; 15-1 vs WTC)