No. 1 ranked Texans overpower Wranglers 84-66

Odessa (21-4, 6-3) got on the board first with a 3-point goal by Matthew Hunter. Henderson gave SPC their first lead of the game, 7-5, moments later after nailing his first 3-pointer three minutes into the contest. The Texans would only trail once more for the remainder of the game.

Up by three points with just over 4-minutes remaining in the opening half, Henderson nailed his second 3-point basket and Kidd capitalized on a Terrence Durham steal to push the lead back to eight. Durham received credit for assisting each basket.

Durham made his second goal of the night after two Odessa free throws to help begin a 6-1 run to end the half. Kidd scored the next four points before Odessa's Jaamon Echols helped his team stop the bleeding with two more free throws to end the half and send the teams to the locker room with the Texans leading 41-30.

Kidd led the way in the first half with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting, coming up big while SPC's 6-feet-11 big man Yanick Moreira sat on the bench 14 minutes because of foul trouble. Durham played 10 big minutes in relief of Devonte Smith who was also whistled for two fouls.

Henderson, who scored 10 points in the first half, really picked up his game toward the end of the first and the entire second half. Henderson began the second half with a jumper that increased SPC's lead to 13 points. 

Odessa would take advantage of a couple of SPC turnovers to decrease the Texan lead to five points with 15:55 left to play. Smith pushed the lead back to seven and then Murphy put back a Henderson miss to push the lead back to nine. The two teams exchanged baskets over the next few possessions until Moreira - who had been held in check most of the game - erupted the SPC fans in attendance with a massive dunk. A steal and finish by Henderson gave the Texans another double-digit lead. 

Henderson made his final two 3-pointers during a 12-0 scoring run that helped put Odessa away for good, giving SPC a 21 point advantage with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.

Held to only 11 points during the Texans victory over Odessa last month, Henderson said he did not use his performance in the last game as motivation for this one and gave credit to the Texans executing the game plan they entered with.

"One of the things coach was really wanting us to do was work the ball back and forth and kind of wear them down and so I was able to get open," Henderson said, adding that Odessa guarded him similarly to the first game at the beginning of tonight's contest.

The victory was huge for the Texans as they remain two games ahead of Howard College with a trip to Big Spring looming next Thursday. 

No. 1 ranked South Plains will return home Thursday, February 16 when they host Frank Phillips College on Think Pink Night, sponsored by Covenant Hospital of Levelland. South Plains took care of Frank Phillips 101-78 January 23 in Borger. The Plainsmen (10-15, 2-7) defeated Western Texas 91-82 in overtime Monday night.

In an effort to raise money for breast cancer awareness, the SPC athletic department is raffling an iPad2 at halftime of the Texans game versus the Plainsmen. Raffle tickets can be purchased at Covenant Hospital of Levelland or in the South Plains College athletic offices. Fans interested can call 716-2221 for more information. Entrants do not need to be present to win.

A live video stream of Thursday's contests can be accessed at www.spctexans.com where SPC TV will handle the video and play-by-play. Live audio will be available on KLVT 1230 AM and www.klvtradio.com with KLVT's Michael Wiiest on the call.

South Plains (24-0, 9-0 )
Deshaunt Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Yanick Moreira 3-6 0-0 6, Derrell Edwards 0-0 0-0 0, Devonte Smith 4-7 4-7 12, Stanton Kidd 9-10 0-0 20, Marshall Henderson 9-22 4-6 26, Tymell Murphy 5-8 0-2 10, Greg Gainey 2-3 1-3 5, Malcolm Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Terrence Durham 2-2 0-0 4, Alex Giraudier 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 34-59 10-20 84

Odessa (21-4, 6-3)
Jaamon Echols 5-8 3-4 14, Derrick Barden 3-9 2-4 8, Jalondre McClanahan 3-6 0-0 6, Deonnte Breedlove 0-4 0-0 0, Kewyn Blain 2-3 0-0 4, Brandon Williams 1-2 2-2 4, Damal Donaldson 0-1 0-0 0, Javontay Baynes 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew Hunter 11-18 7-9 30, Daniel Hield 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-53 14-19 66
SCORE BY PERIODS 1st 2nd TOTAL
South Plains 41 43 84
Odessa 30 36 66

FG%: South Plains .567, Odessa .472. 3-pt FG:South Plains 6-14 (Moreira 0-1, Smith 0-1, Kidd 2-2, Henderson 4-9, Miller 0-1), Odessa 2-14 (Echols 1-4, Barden 0-2, Breedlove 0-2, Blain 0-1, Hunter 1-5). Rebounds: South Plains 30 (Murphy 9), Odessa 33 (Barden 10). Fouls South Plains 17, Odessa 17. Fouled out: none. Technical: none. Assists: South Plains 16 (Henderson 4), Odessa 8 (Hunter 3). Steals: South Plains 21 (Henderson 6), Odessa 6 (Hunter 5). Blocked shots: South Plains 5 (Moreira 2), Odessa 4 (Barden 2). Turnovers: South Plains 14, Odessa 26