Texans hold on to defeat NMMI 77-72

ROSWELL, N.M. – Billydee Williams came off the bench to score a game high 24 points and the NJCAA second-ranked South Plains College Texans held off the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos 77-72 Thursday night at the Cahoon Armory gymnasium in Roswell.

With the win, the Texans move to 18-1 overall on the season and, more importantly, remain undefeated in league play with a 5-0 record.  The Broncos fall to 10-7 overall and 0-5 in the WJCAC. 

New Mexico Military gave the Texans all they could handle for much of the contest and led by as many as eight early in the first half. 

The Texans quickly closed the gap and with the score tied up at 28, South Plains went on a 12-4 run that put them up eight, an advantage they would also hold at halftime, 45-37. 

It looked like the Texans might run away with the game in the second half, building a 17-point lead by the midway point, 68-51.  The Broncos responded with a 17-2 scoring run that got them to within two with less than four minutes remaining on the clock. 

Williams stopped the bleeding with a 3-point goal and then gave the Texans a six-point lead when he made 1-of-2 from the free throw line following a steal by Sekou Harris. 

Antonio Manns made brought the Broncos back to within four with two free throws, but Williams converted a shot in the paint while also drawing a foul and would put the Texans up seven with only 32 ticks when he completed the three-point play. 

Williams finished the game making 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from behind the three-point line.  Sophomore Ryan Martin had an efficient night from the field, making 7-of-9 shots and finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds.  Andre Spight chipped in with 11 points andRoderick Lawrence had nine while also grabbing 10 rebounds. 

The Texans have another road trip on the horizon, as they will travel to Borger for a matchup with Frank Phillips College Monday, Jan. 20, a spot they narrowly escaped with a victory one year ago. 

The Plainsmen entered their Thursday night matchup at Clarendon with an overall record of 11-6 and 1-2 in the conference. 

Conference scores:  South Plains 77, NMMI 72; Howard 87, Odessa 86; Midland 76, New Mexico 66; Frank Phillips 78, Clarendon 75

South Plains (18-1, 5-0)
Andre Spight 3-8 2-2 11, Billydee Williams 8-14 4-5 24, Sekou Harris 3-6 0-1 6, Malik Nichols 2-7 0-0 4, Clayton Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Emmanuel Omogbo 1-1 1-1 3, Roderick Lawrence 3-7 3-4 9, Cedrick McAfee 2-5 0-0 4, Ryan Martin 7-9 2-4 16, Michael Karena 0-0 0-0 0, Pedro Konofino 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 12-17 77

New Mexico Military Insti (10-7, 0-5)
Joseph Biron 7-15 4-4 20, Marcus Roper 6-13 1-1 14, Ronell Abaekobe 2-4 0-0 4, Shaquan Rhoades 0-3 0-0 0, Kelfala Mansaray 0-0 0-0 0, Weston Zeller 2-2 0-0 6, Will Joyce 3-5 1-1 7, Dane Williams 1-6 0-0 3, Antonio Manns 6-15 2-4 18, Mario Karailiev 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-63 8-10 72

FG%: South Plains .500, New Mexico Military Insti .429. 3-pt FG:South Plains 7-19 (Spight 3-5, Williams 4-6, Harris 0-3, Jones 0-1, Lawrence 0-2, McAfee 0-2), New Mexico Military Insti 10-22 (Biron 2-5, Roper 1-2, Abaekobe 0-2, Rhoades 0-1, Zeller 2-2, Williams 1-3, Manns 4-7). Rebounds: South Plains 32 (Lawrence 10), New Mexico Military Insti 30 (Joyce 9). Fouls South Plains 16, New Mexico Military Insti 15. Fouled out: Joyce . Technical: none. Assists: South Plains 19 (Spight 5), New Mexico Military Insti 11 (Biron 4). Steals: South Plains 8 (Harris 3), New Mexico Military Insti 5 (Biron 2, Williams 2). Blocked shots: South Plains 2 (Lawrence 1, Martin 1), New Mexico Military Insti 4 (Roper 3). Turnovers: South Plains 13, New Mexico Military Insti 12.