Henderson nails key 3s to help Texans past Mesa

January 4, 2012

MESA, Ariz. - Sophomore Marshal Henderson scored 20 of his game high 28 points in the second half including key shots from downtown in the final minutes to help the NJCAA fourth-ranked South Plains College Texans past a feisty Mesa team 89-77.

Henderson finished the game 10-of-18 from the field including 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.

The game was somewhat closer than the final indicated with Mesa creeping to as close as four points many times when the Texans extended their lead to double-digits.

Returning from the locker room with a six point halftime lead, 37-31, the hot-handed Henderson helped South Plains to lead by as many as 14 and came up with additional clutch shots each time the T-Birds tried to crawl back into the game.

Fresh off a 22-point performance Monday night, Deshaunt Walker nailed some shots when they mattered most and helped the Texan cause with 15 points. Stanton Kidd and Tymell Murphy each added 11 points while Kidd also brought down a team high seven boards. Freshman post Yanick Moreira chipped in with nine.

Devonte Smith ran the offense at the point guard position for the entire 40 minutes of the ball game, scoring four points and dishing out five assists while also grabbing five rebounds.

After making only 14-of-35 shots in the first half, the Texans returned from the locker room and improved their shooting from the field by making 19-of-30 (.633) in the final 20-minutes. They also heated up from downtown - much to the credit of Henderson - making 10-of-15 3-point shots in the second half of play.

The Texans will enjoy a day off before taking on the Coyotes of Chandler-Gilbert College (10-4) Thursday, January 5. Live stats for the game will be available at www.spctexans.com.

South Plains (13-0 )
Deshaunt Walker 5-13 2-3 15, Yanick Moreira 3-9 3-6 9, Derrell Edwards 1-4 0-0 2,Devonte Smith 1-2 1-2 4, Stanton Kidd 5-6 1-1 11, Marshall Henderson 10-18 0-1 28,Tymell Murphy 4-6 2-2 11, Greg Gainey 0-0 0-0 0, Malcolm Miller 2-4 0-0 5, Darius Harris2-3 0-0 4, Alex Giraudier 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-65 9-15 89

Mesa (10-4)
Khalfuni Marks 1-1 0-2 2, Travis Timmons 2-3 3-4 7, Tylor Wimbish 3-5 1-2 7, Jarrett Green 5-8 4-5 16, CJ Crockom 0-0 0-0 0, Christian Griggs-Williams 6-11 0-0 12, Brendon Pineda-Morales 2-4 0-0 4, Asaad Woods 4-13 3-3 12, Elliot Fletcher 7-9 1-3 17. Totals 30-54 12-19 77

SCORE BY PERIODS	1st	2nd	TOTAL
South Plains	37	52	89
Mesa	31	46	77

FG%: South Plains .508, Mesa .556. 3-pt FG:South Plains 14-28 (Walker 3-8, Moreira 0-1, Edwards 0-2, Smith 1-1, Henderson 8-13, Murphy 1-1, Miller 1-2), Mesa 5-11 (Timmons 0-1, Green 2-4, Woods 1-4, Fletcher 2-2). Rebounds: South Plains 31 (Kidd 7), Mesa 25 (Timmons 7). Fouls South Plains 19, Mesa 13. Fouled out: Green . Technical: none. Assists: South Plains 13 (Smith 5), Mesa 16 (Timmons 6). Steals: South Plains 5 (Kidd 2), Mesa 1 (Pineda-Morales 1). Blocked shots: South Plains 3 (Murphy 2), Mesa 3 (Wimbish 1, Griggs-Williams 1, Woods 1). Turnovers: South Plains 9, Mesa 10. Attendance: 0.