No. 7 Lady Texans Fall to Clarendon to Close First Round of Conference Play

LEVELLAND, TX - The No. 7 South Plains College Lady Texans dropped a 72–59 decision to Clarendon College on Monday night at the Texan Dome, closing out the first round of WJCAC play.

Clarendon controlled the momentum early, building a lead that grew to as many as 28 points in the third quarter. The Lady Texans showed resilience in the fourth, putting together a late push that cut into the deficit, but the comeback effort came up short against the Bulldogs' sustained offensive pressure.

Despite the loss, Isabel Joao led all scorers with a strong performance, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. Maya Braxton-Young added energy on both ends of the floor, contributing nine points, two assists, and three steals.

South Plains struggled to find a rhythm shooting the ball, finishing the night at 36 percent from the field, 15 percent from three-point range, and 60 percent from the free-throw line. Defensively, SPC forced 18 Clarendon turnovers and converted them into 14 points, but were unable to capitalize consistently on the offensive end. The Lady Texans' largest lead of the game was four points in the opening minutes of play.

With the loss, South Plains moves to 16–4 overall and 4–3 in conference action, sitting behind New Mexico Junior College in the WJCAC standings after the first half of conference play.

The Lady Texans will look to bounce back at home on Thursday, February 5th, when they host Odessa College. SPC earned a 69–64 victory over the Wranglers in the first-round matchup and will aim to regain momentum after dropping back-to-back conference games.