No. 16 Texans fend off Plainsmen 75-69 Monday in Borger

BORGER — Jaden Harris posted a game-high 21 points Monday as No. 16 South Plains won a pivotal conference road matchup, besting Frank Phillips 75-69 at the BCAC Center.

The Texans improve to 20-5 on the season, including an 8-3 mark in league play. SPC will be back home on Thursday when they host New Mexico Junior College at 7:30 p.m. at the Texan Dome. Thursday is also Hockley County School Employees Credit Union Night, as HCSECU will be providing a free fajita dinner to all SPC employees, and giving away six $100 cash prizes to SPC faculty and staff. Fans can also enjoy a fajita meal for $5.

"We knew it was going to be tough to come in here and win this game," South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. "They played a matchup zone that we haven't seen, and I thought our guys did a good job handling that. We knew it was going to be tough to get a win in this building with Frank fully healthy now, and we need to move on from this one and get ready for Thursday night."

Harris, who also handed out a team-high six assists, connected on six of nine shots from the floor and was three of four from distance over 32 minutes. Christian Coleman provided 13 points over 21 minutes coming off the bench for South Plains, while Elijah Tate poured in 10 points and Bryson Ogletree netted six.

"We were able to create some good shots offensively," Harris said. "We were able to have some success on defense, which resulted in points on the offensive end, and we were able to move the ball well once we had the ball. This was a good win for us, but we need to get prepared and get locked in for Thursday night."

South Plains shot 55 percent from the field and was 11 of 16 from the 3-point line. The Texans forced 10 turnovers which resulted in 18 points on the offensive end and forced Frank Phillips to shoot just six of 23 from distance in the contest.

"I was able to hit a couple of shots early on and provide a spark coming off the bench," Ogletree said. "Frank was really focused on packing the interior, so we knew we had to hit shots from the outside if we were going to score. Any time you can win on the road is a good thing, and in this conference, anyone can beat you on any night."