Texans outlast Thunderbirds 74-69 Thursday in Hobbs

HOBBS — The South Plains College men's basketball team picked up a pivotal conference road win Thursday night, outlasting New Mexico Junior College 74-69 at Ron Black Court at the Caster Activity Center.

With the win, South Plains improves to 14-10 on the season and 8-4 in the WJCAC and will be back on their home floor on Monday when they host Clarendon College at 7:30 p.m. at the Texan Dome.

Kieves Turner led the Texans on the offensive end with 22 points and three assists, knocking down 5 of 12 shots from the field, and was a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line over 40 minutes. Malik Zachery notched 13 points, eight boards, and five assists in 40 minutes of action, while DJ Avery poured in nine points and snagged three boards.

Khalifa Sakho provided a spark off the bench, dropping in eight points to go along with six rebounds and three blocked shots over 19 minutes. South Plains shot 40.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from distance, knocking down 22 of 28 attempts from the charity stripe.

SPC won the battle on the glass 34-28 and poured in 20 points inside the paint. The Texans forced the Thunderbirds into 15 turnovers, resulting in 16 points on the offensive end and netted eight points on second-chance opportunities.