Texans Hold Off Howard Down the Stretch for 68-63 Victory

LEVELLAND, TX - The Texans came out firing, knocking down three of their first four shots from beyond the arc while finishing inside to build an 18-10 lead. At the first timeout, SPC held an 18-13 advantage before Zion Pipkin buried a deep three to stretch the margin to 21-13.

Aggressive drives to the basket put Howard in early foul trouble. Antallah Sandlin'el split a pair at the free throw line midway through the half, and Harouna Coulibaly returned to action after briefly exiting with a turned ankle. Keith Richard converted a layup off a defensive tip from Coulibaly as the Texans pushed their lead to 24-13 at the under 10 media timeout. Alexandre K'Medehouto battled foul trouble, picking up his third foul before the break in action.

After building the early cushion, SPC endured a four minute scoring drought. Micah Bell stopped the slide with a corner three to regain momentum. At the under five media timeout, the Texans led 27-24 before Aliou Maiga knocked down two free throws to extend the lead to five. A key shot clock violation forced by the Texans defense helped maintain separation.

Howard's Copeland, the Hawks leading scorer with 14 points, exited after suffering an ankle injury in a game that featured multiple players battling through rolled ankles. Late in the half, Sandlin'el finished a tip in, and Richard drilled a corner three with 30 seconds left. Pipkin was fouled with 4.6 seconds remaining and calmly sank both free throws to give SPC a 38-30 halftime lead.

Howard opened the second half with a quick bucket, but Jaylen Colon answered with a three from the top of the key. Bell followed with another three, and Richard connected from deep on the Texans third possession of the half to push the lead to 47-34 with 17:22 remaining, forcing a Howard timeout. Richard added a driving score, and SPC capitalized on a Hawks turnover to maintain control. At the first media timeout of the half, the Texans led 49-36.

The Hawks slowly chipped away, cutting the deficit to 61-55 at the under five media timeout. Pipkin responded with a clutch three with just over four minutes to play, but Howard continued to pressure, trimming the lead to 64-62 with 2:18 remaining.

After a free throw cut the margin to one, Pipkin was fouled with 53 seconds left and knocked down both attempts to give SPC a 66-63 edge. Maiga delivered a key defensive stop, forcing a turnover with 41 seconds remaining. Following a timeout with 23.7 seconds left and a 13 second shot clock, Bell drove for an up and under layup with 10 seconds remaining to extend the lead to five. Howard's final three point attempt missed, and the Texans secured the rebound to seal the 68-63 win.

Bell led South Plains with 18 points and seven rebounds. Pipkin added 15 points, while Richard finished with 11 points and two assists as the Texans closed out the regular season home slate with a hard earned conference victory.