Top ranked Texans rout Benedictine JV 113-58 to improve to 11-0 on Wednesday

MESA, Arizona—The top ranked South Plains College Texans improved to 11-0 on the season following a 113-58 drumming of Benedictine JV in the first round of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout at Mesa Community College on Wednesday.

Texas Tech commit Jordan Brangers led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. Roberto Gallinat recorded a double-double as the sophomore from Atlanta totaled 14 points and 13 boards in 22 minutes of action.

"I thought this was a good win considering we haven't seen each other in three weeks," Brangers said. "It was good to get back in the vibe of playing with each other, and things went well for us tonight. When I hit my first couple of shots I knew it was going to be a good night."

Grantham Gillard was 4-of-6 from the perimeter and finished with 18 points and six boards for South Plains, while Raquan Mitchell chipped in 15 points and was 7-of-9 from the field. South Plains shot 62 percent from the floor over 40 minutes while holding the Red Hawks to a 29 percent shooting percentage. The Texans went 12-for-26 from the perimeter while outrebounding their opponent 48-27 on the glass.

"Everything was working for us tonight and it was good to get back on the floor with these guys," Gallinat said. "We executed on offense and defense today and need to do that again tomorrow. We need to stay focused and get ready for another game tomorrow night."

The Texans will now shift their focus to the defending national champions in Salt Lake Community College. The Bruins come into the contest ranked 12th in the country in the latest NJCAA polls, and will give the Texans their second top 15 matchup of the season. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MST and can be watched live at spctexans.com.

"We just kind of wanted to get up and run up and down the floor," South Plains head coach Steve Green said. "Salt Lake is the defending national champions and I think they have a good program and are well coached. They've been in plenty of big games before just as we have. We've got to play a little more sound on the defensive end. Salt Lake will be much more competitive and we need to treat it just like we're playing a league game."