Texans clip #8 Odessa 87-83 to capture Region V title, secure automatic bid to National Tournament

LUBBOCK — The South Plains College men's basketball team secured an automatic bid to the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament Saturday, knocking off No. 8 Odessa 87-83 to capture the Region V title at Frenship High School's Tiger Pit.

The National Tournament will take place March 14-19 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, hosting the country's top 24 teams vowing for the national crown. The 24-team bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET during the NJCAA Selection Show on the NJCAA Network.

South Plains earned their way into the region title game after defeating Temple and New Mexico Military Institute in the first two rounds, setting up a rubber match with the Wranglers, who topped South Plains twice during conference play.

The Texans made the most of the opportunity, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit to clip Odessa in the final minutes. Kieves Turner netted a game-high 31 points, connecting on 8 of 13 shots from the floor, and was a perfect 13 of 13 from the free throw line. Jaden Harris chipped in 12 points over 35 minutes, finishing 2 of 9 from the floor and was 6 of 8 from the charity stripe.

Malek Abdelgowad poured in 11 points and snagged four boards, dropping in 3 of 4 attempts from the field and was 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Savion Gallion provided 11 points and four rebounds coming off the bench as South Plains shot 50 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from distance.

Dontrell Hewlett led Odessa with 14 points and 10 boards, while Anthony Marchall netted 13 points and five boards over 22 minutes. Odessa shot a 43.1 percent clip from the floor and were just 2 of 17 from distance.