#1 Texans pummel Yavapai College 116-49 Monday in season opener

LEVELLAND — Six players scored in double figures Monday night as the top-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team opened the season with a 116-49 rout of Yavapai College at the Texan Dome.

South Plains will be on the road for the first time when they travel to Twin Falls, Idaho Nov. 7-9 for the Title One Invitational on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho. The Texans will square off with North Idaho College at 6 p.m. on Nov. 7.

"I thought all preseason that we could be one of the better offensive teams in the country, and we've shown flashes of being able to shoot it well, and tonight, overall, we played a pretty clean game," South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. "If we share the ball, we will be in good shape. We've gotten much better on defense the past two weeks, and with the athletic ability and foot speed we have, we should be good on that side of the ball. It's a long season, and we have to continue to learn the game. We're getting on the plane Wednesday and heading to one of the best tournaments in the country."

Caleb Blackwell led South Plains with 15 points and a pair of assists over 20 minutes, while Arterio Morris finished with 14 points and two assists. Tavaj Cope netted 13 points and four rebounds coming off the bench, while Issac Taveras poured in 12 points to go along with four boards and three steals.

"We did a good job moving the ball, and we have a lot of talent on this team, and getting the ball to the right guy to get open looks is going to be key for us to be successful this season," Blackwell said. "Having this many makes my job easy, and we have to continue to push the ball and find open shots. We're talented on offense, but our defense will be what separates us this year. We have to play with an attitude on defense, and that will be what gets us where we want to be at the end of the year."

South Plains shot a 64.6 percent clip from the field (42-65), connected on 13 of 28 attempts from distance, and won the battle on the glass, outrebounding their counterpart 45-25. The Texans forced 25 turnovers resulting in 37 points on the offensive end, and totaled 58 points inside the paint and 21 points on second-chance opportunities.

"Coach has been on us the past few weeks about working extremely hard and getting after it in practice," Morris said. "The work is starting to pay off, and every day is a new opportunity to get better. We're a very grounded team, and the first thing we work on is defense. We know we can score the ball, but holding each other accountable on the defensive end is something we are putting a focus on every day."