#1 Lady Texans Drop First Conference Game to #8 New Mexico Junior College, 81-74
The No. 1 South Plains College Lady Texans suffered their first conference loss of the season Monday night, falling 81–74 to New Mexico Junior College at the Texan Dome. The loss moves SPC to 15–2 overall and 3–1 in WJCAC play.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
21 | 20 | 14 | 26 | 81 |
|
|
21 | 9 | 20 | 24 | 74 |
Team Stats
New Mexico Junior College
| Game Statistics | New Mexico Junior College | South Plains College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-59) | (27-75) |
| Field Goal % | 49.2% | 36.0% |
| Rebounds | 34 | 46 |
| Assists | 14 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 25 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 6 |
LEVELLAND, TX - The No. 1 South Plains College Lady Texans suffered their first conference loss of the season Monday night, falling 81–74 to New Mexico Junior College at the Texan Dome. The loss moves SPC to 15–2 overall and 3–1 in WJCAC play.
The game opened at a fast pace, with the Lady Texans and Thunderbirds knotted at 21 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter proved to be the difference, as NMJC outscored SPC 20–9 to take a 41–30 lead into halftime.
South Plains responded with a strong third-quarter push, outscoring the Thunderbirds by seven to cut into the deficit, but could not fully close the gap down the stretch, ultimately falling by seven.
New Mexico Junior College's Jada Graves delivered a standout performance, finishing with 41 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and three steals, proving to be the decisive factor in the contest.
The Thunderbirds held the advantage in shooting, finishing ahead of SPC in field goal percentage, three-point shooting, and free-throw percentage. The Lady Texans forced 15 turnovers, but were only able to convert those into 10 points.
The Lady Texans were led by Isabel Joao with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Angelina Joao with 16 points, and Milani Smith with 15 points. SPC's largest lead was three points with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter, while the Thunderbirds built their largest lead of 12 midway through the third.
The Lady Texans will have the week to regroup, as they are off Thursday and will return to action next Monday when they travel to face Western Texas College.