Lady Texans fall to Tyler, 89-70

November 29, 2013

PLANO, Texas – Lady Texan sophomore guard TaSheena Moore scored 22 points, tying Tyler's Brittny Nelson for the game high, and fellow sophomore Alexius Dawn added 19, but that was not enough to help the Lady Texans pull out a victory as South Plains fell 89-70 to Tyler College Friday afternoon in the first game of the Collin County Thanksgiving Classic.

Tyler (6-1) scored the first seven points of the game to jump out to an early lead and led by as many as 16 points in the first half.

South Plains (3-4) trailed 42-29 at halftime.

Early in the second half, the Lady Texans made run to get to within a single possession to set up what looked like might be an exciting finish.

Down 11, Jasmine Brainard finished off a dish from Dawn for a field goal in the paint. On the next trip down the court, Rafeegah Fataar snagged one of her three offensive rebounds and laid the ball back in to get the Lady Texans back to within seven, 51-44.

Ijeoma Nzekwe sandwiched a field goal in between a pair of Tyler free throws and field goal, again making it a nine-point contest.

With 12:14 remaining and the Lady Texans trailing 56-48, the two teams were fighting for a loose ball when Tyler's Brittney Norris was whistled and assessed a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Moore hit the technical foul free throws and the Lady Texans retained possession.

Dawn got the Lady Texans to within three points when she converted a layup and drew a foul after a strong drive to the basket. Dawn converted the free throw.

Tyler made it a five-point game with a pair of free throws and then, on their next trip down, converted a three-point play when sophomore Briana Brigham was called for a blocking foul on what appeared to clearly be a charge.

The Lady Texans could never get the game back to within reach as they dropped their third contest in a row and fourth of the year.

South Plains will look to get back on the winning track when they face tournament host Collin County (8-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Collin County defeated Seminole State 69-48 in the game following South Plains.

Live video of Saturday's contest will be available at www.spctexans.com.

South Plains (3-4)
Alexius Dawn 8-20 3-6 19, Desiree Cruz 0-4 0-0 0, Tasheena Moore 5-12 11-13 22, Briana Brigham 0-4 0-0 0, Ijeoma Nzekwe 1-2 0-0 2, Jasmine Brainard 4-11 1-2 9, Rafeegah Fataar 6-8 4-4 16, Rayvon Christian 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-62 19-25 70

TYLER (6-1)
Malena Washington 4-12 1-2 9, Blayke Hemmitt 0-0 0-0 0, Shernise Robertson 1-6 0-0 3, Victoria Kemokai 6-11 6-8 18, Katelynn Johnson 1-4 1-1 3, Amber Driver 1-3 2-2 4, Brittny Norris 5-12 10-10 22, Bria Emanuel 4-5 2-2 10, Caitlyn Ramirez 6-8 8-10 20. Totals 28-61 30-35 89

SCORE BY PERIODS	1st	2nd	TOTAL
South Plains	29	41	70
TYLER	42	47	89

FG%: South Plains .403, TYLER .459. 3-pt FG:South Plains 1-11 (Dawn 0-2, Cruz 0-2, Moore 1-2, Brigham 0-1, Brainard 0-3, Fataar 0-1), TYLER 3-8 (Robertson 1-1, Kemokai 0-2, Johnson 0-2, Norris 2-2, Ramirez 0-1). Rebounds: South Plains 31 (Fataar 8), TYLER 30 (Norris 11). Fouls South Plains 26, TYLER 20. Fouled out: Dawn Brigham . Technical: NORRIS. Assists: South Plains 12 (Moore 5), TYLER 11 (Washington 5). Steals: South Plains 9 (Dawn 3, Brainard 3), TYLER 7 (Norris 3). Blocked shots: South Plains 3 (Fataar 2), TYLER 3 (Washington 1, Robertson 1, Norris 1). Turnovers: South Plains 21, TYLER 15.