No. 3 Lady Texans fall to No. 19 Odessa 58-46 Thursday

ODESSA — The third-ranked South Plains College women's basketball team fell to No. 19 Odessa 58-46 Thursday at the OC Sports Center in their final regular season game of the year.

Despite the loss, South Plains clinched a share of the conference title, their first conference crown since 2013, and will shift their focus to the Region V tournament March 6-9 at the Moody Coliseum in Abilene. Earning a No. 1 seed from the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, the Lady Texans will tip off against Ranger College, the No. 4 seed out of the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference, on Wednesday, March 6 at 1 p.m. 

Leading 40-39 following a Sarah Shematsi' 3-ball from the top of the key to give South Plains a 40-39 lead with 8:16 to go, Odessa used a 19-6 run over the final eight minutes to pull away from Lady Texans.  

Shematsi led all scorers in the contest with 17 points and four rebounds, connecting on 7 of 15 attempts from the field and was 3 of 6 from the 3-point line. Sophomore Keke Hunter was a force inside the paint for the Lady Texans, dropping in 14 points and seven boards, sinking 6 of 10 attempts over 36 minutes.

The Lady Texans shot a 41.9 percent clip from the hardwood and were 7 of 16 from behind the arc. Kamryn Lemon led the Lady Wranglers with 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds, dropping in 6 of 12 attempts from the field. Yanina Todorova tallied 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Odessa, bucketing 4 of 6 attempts and was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line.

Points were at a premium Thursday night as both teams recorded just 20 points inside the paint in a game that saw seven lead changes and was tied four times. The Lady Texans bucketed 10 points on second-chance opportunities but were forced into 17 turnovers resulting in 19 points for Odessa on the offensive end.

Region V tournament information: http://www.njcaaregion5.com/information/championship_info