#11 Texans Outlast Lamar Community College 98-96 in Overtime Thriller at Texan Classic

LEVELLAND, TX - The No. 11 South Plains College Texans closed out the Texan Classic in dramatic fashion Saturday, defeating Lamar Community College 98-96 in an overtime battle that mirrored the intensity of their November matchup, an 88-85 SPC victory.

In the teams' second meeting of the season, Lamar once again pushed the Texans to the limit. South Plains trailed 46-39 at halftime but responded with a strong second half, outscoring the Running Lopes 42-35 to force overtime. In the extra period, SPC edged Lamar 17-15 to seal the high-scoring, back-and-forth win. 

Deion Ware delivered a huge performance off the bench, leading the Texans with 27 points and 7 rebounds. Zion Pipkin added 19 points and 8 assists, while Yohandry Ortiz contributed 15 points in the balanced scoring effort. 

South Plains was elite offensively, shooting 58.5% from the field and 50% from three, knocking down 11 of 22 attempts from beyond the arc. The Texans also capitalized at the free-throw line, hitting 25 of 30 (83.3%), a crucial edge over Lamar, who went just 7 of 10 at the stripe. 

SPC finished with 32 rebounds, 14 assists, and 18 turnovers, converting 7 points off the 6 turnovers they forced. The Texans' depth was once again a major factor, as they received 49 points from the bench. Their largest lead of the night, 6 points, came with 2:38 remaining in regulation before Lamar rallied to extend the game. 

With the win, South Plains improves to 7-2 on the season. 

The Texans now turn their attention to next week when they travel to Clarendon College on Friday, December 12th, to face Western Oklahoma State College, followed by a December 13th matchup at Weatherford College. SPC  will conclude non-conference play at the SLCC Holiday Tournament - Bishop Gorman, where they will take on the College of Southern Nevada and Salt Lake Community College. 

South Plains will open WJCAC conference play on January 5th on the road against Odessa College.