Gilbert drops in 27 points as No. 9 Texans dismantle New Mexico Military Institute 103-52 Monday

LEVELLAND — The ninth-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team had 11 players find the bottom of the net and placed four in double figures in a 103-52 dismantling of New Mexico Military Institute Monday at the Texan Dome.

Sophomore Koray Gilbert led the way with 27 points, bucketing 7 of 8 attempts from the floor and was 10-for-10 from the free throw line coming off the bench for the Texans. Christian Wilson tacked on 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals, sinking 5 of 8 shots from the field in 24 minutes of action.

"I give all the credit to my teammates who helped me find open shots," Gilbert said. "They helped me get open and found me with the ball, and we tried to be aggressive and help each other out as much as possible. We try to get it inside and back out, and when you can do that it makes the game much easier. With Gaige on the inside it opens up good looks for us on the perimeter, and we were able to hit some shots tonight."

South Plains' Deon Barett dropped in 10 points, three boards and a pair of steals, while Gage Prim chipped in 12 points and four rebounds over 24 minutes. Sophomore big man Chris Efretuei netted eight points and grabbed five rebounds, knocking down 4 of 5 attempts from the hardwood.

The Texans raced out to a 52-26 lead at the midway point after shooting a season-high 63.8 percent from the 3-point line in the first half, knocking down seven 3s in the opening stint. Gilbert dropped in 10 points in the first 20 minutes while Wilson and Barett combined for 16 points in the front half.

New Mexico Military Institute was held to a 29.5 percent clip from the floor in the contest as the Texans forced 10 turnovers resulting in 19 points on the offensive end. South Plains poured in 38 points inside the paint and scored 21 points on second-chance opportunities while outrebounding the Broncos 45-29 on the glass.

South Plains improves to 21-3 on the year and 10-2 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, sitting atop the conference standings with four games remaining in the regular season. The Texans will travel to New Mexico Junior College on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. MST tip before returning home on Feb. 18 against Western Texas College at the Texan Dome.