Texans Ride the Free-Throw Line to Gritty Win Over Midland
South Plains College leaned on relentless pressure and a massive advantage at the free-throw line to pull away late, outlasting Midland College 74–70 on Monday night at the Texan Dome behind a poised second-half effort.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
39 | 31 | 70 |
|
|
37 | 37 | 74 |
Team Stats
Midland College
| Game Statistics | Midland College | South Plains College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-62) | (21-55) |
| Field Goal % | 37.1% | 38.2% |
| Rebounds | 39 | 33 |
| Assists | 16 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 1 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 37 | 44 |
LEVELLAND, TX - South Plains College used a huge advantage at the free-throw line and a strong second half to outlast Midland College, 74–70, on Monday night (Feb. 9, 2026) in Levelland.
Midland (20–4, 6–4) led 39–37 at halftime after shooting the ball better from deep early, but South Plains (18–5, 7–3) flipped the game after the break by winning the foul/free-throw battle and edging the second half 37–31. The Texans finished 26-of-32 at the line (81.3%) compared to Midland's 12-of-20 (60.0%), a +14 margin in made free throws that ultimately decided a four-point game.
Midland's offense leaned heavily on its perimeter shooting—12 made threes on 29 attempts (41.4%), and got a team-high 16 points from Darius Carr off the bench (5-for-11 FG, 2-for-3 3PT, 4-for-8 FT). Antoine Bo Hurns added 15 points on an efficient 4-for-6 shooting with three triples, while Joustin Reyes chipped in nine points (3-for-7 from three). Midland also won the rebounding battle 39–33, including 10 offensive boards, but couldn't fully cash in due to turnovers (14) and the mounting foul trouble/technical issues late.
South Plains didn't shoot much better from the field (38.2%) and hit just 6-of-20 from three (30.0%), but consistently generated contact and points at the stripe. Micah Bell scored 13 points and was perfect on free throws (6-for-6). Zion Pipkin added 12 points, also flawless at the line (6-for-6), and Harouna Coulibaly contributed 12 points with 6-of-7 free-throw shooting. Deion Ware scored 11 and helped create offense with three assists, while Aliou Maiga provided an efficient nine points on 4-for-5 shooting.
A key storyline was discipline: Midland was assessed three technical fouls (including one on Hurns and two charged to the team), while South Plains had none proving to be another factor that fed the Texans' decisive free-throw edge.
In the end, Midland's three-point volume and rebounding kept it within striking distance, but South Plains' ability to live at the line and close the second half cleaner secured the 74–70 win.
