Fourth quarter surge pushes Lady Texans past Odessa 61-55 Monday

LEVELLAND — Ashala Moseberry and Raija Todd combined for 26 points Monday as the South Plains College women's basketball team bested Odessa 61-55 at the Texan Dome.

The Lady Texans improve to 16-8 on the season and 10-3 in league play and will close out the regular season on Thursday when they host Midland at 5:45 p.m. at the Dome.

"We haven't played well offensively, and our defense has been able to keep us in games," South Plains head coach Ara Baten said. "Our attitude has to shift a little bit, and we have to start doing some things with a little more urgency. You have to give credit to Odessa tonight, and we have to start games better and find ways to play better from the opening tip."

Odessa jumped out to an 18-14 lead after one quarter, but a 16-8 run from the Lady Texans would give South Plains a 30-26 lead at the midway point. Marchelle Bowden would give the Lady Wranglers a 34-33 advantage at the 3:45 mark of the third quarter, but an 8-5 run capped by a jumper from Todd would put SPC up 41-39 heading into the final stint.

Following a bucket from Odessa's Taya Davis which deadlocked the game at 41 apiece, South Plains would utilize a 9-0 run to take a 49-41 lead with 7:23 to play following a layup from Celia Sumbane. Nahawa Diara Berthe would get Odessa back within one, 56-55 with a layup with 2:08 to go, but a pair of free throws from Todd would put the Lady Texans up 61-55 with six seconds left.

"We just have to keep going, and I have to keep coaching," Baten said. "Right now, I don't have all the answers, but we are going to keep working, and we have a great group of kids. They aren't missing shots on purpose, and they want to do the right things, and I have to find a way to get through to them better. I think we are playing at an elite level defensively for the most part, and if we can get our offense back to a sustainable level, our defense will be able to carry us."  

Todd finished 5 of 11 from the field to go along with four rebounds over 31 minutes. Moseberry connected on 5 of 10 attempts, and also grabbed three rebounds, handed out a pair of assists, and picked two steals over 37 minutes. Vitoria Carvalho provided nine points and eight rebounds off the bench as South Plains shot 38.5 percent from the floor.

Lala Niankan led Odessa with 16 points and 13 boards, while Diarra Berthe and Bowden each finished with 12 points. Odessa shot 36.4 percent from the floor and was just 2 of 14 from distance and 5 of 12 from the free throw line.