by DOMINICK PUENTE//Editorial Assistant
Offense has been key for the South Plains College women’s basketball team through the final stretch of the season and Western Junior College Athletic Conference play.
With the momentum of a four-game winning streak, the No. 7-ranked Lady Texans stumbled on the road against Odessa College, falling 53-51 on Feb. 9.
After a slow start for the Lady Texans, the Lady Wranglers jumped out to a 15-8 lead in the first quarter.
With a struggling offense, SPC gained some offensive momentum in the second quarter, scoring 15 points, but still trailed the Lady Wranglers 31-23 at halftime.
The Lady Texans struggled to cut into the deficit in the second half. Both teams finished the third quarter with 12 points.
While trailing 43-35, the Lady Texans found offensive production late in the game, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter, but still fell short of achieving the comeback.
Sophomore guard Brittany Smith led the Lady Texans with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore forward Yanina Inkina was close behind with 14 points.
The Lady Texans went on the road to defeat Frank Phillips College, 79-68 on Feb. 6 in Borger.
Creating offense in the first half was not a problem for the Lady Texans, as they scored 22 points in the first quarter to gain an early lead against the Lady Plainsmen.
Frank Phillips managed to create some offensive production with 17 points in the first quarter, but stalled in the second quarter.
The Lady Texans made adjustments in the second quarter, allowing FPC only seven points to maintain their lead at halftime. SPC continued to work quickly and scored 18 points before the second quarter ended.
Despite a 40-24 lead, SPC’s offense and defense sputtered through the third quarter, allowing Frank Phillips to cut into the deficit and pull within 11 points.
SPC’s offense had limited production, scoring 13 points in the third quarter to keep a 53-42 lead going into the final quarter.
As the defensive presence for the Lady Texans was fading, both teams finished with high-scoring fourth quarters to cap off the game. Both teams finished the fourth quarter with 26 points apiece.
SPC also had control of the paint, out-rebounding Frank Phillips with 40 rebounds.
Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Elizabeth Cera finished the game with a team-high 20 points for SPC.
Beard was close behind with 19 points, while Inkina and Smith each finished the game with 14 points.
The Lady Texas slammed Midland College 91-57 on Feb. 2 at the Texan Dome.
SPC outscored the Lady Chaparrals 27-10 in the first quarter. Throughout the second quarter, the Lady Texans did not let up and continued to find holes in the Midland defense.
SPC finished the second quarter with 24 points and held Midland to 12 points, building a 37-22 halftime lead.
With a large lead, the Lady Texans kept momentum on their side in the second half by continuing to maintain high intensity on both offense and defense.
Midland College found some offensive production in the third quarter, scoring 20 points, but the Lady Texans’ offense countered by scoring 20 points to push the score to 71-42.
SPC’s offense continued to put pressure on the Lady Chaps in the fourth quarter, firing in 20 points.
Three Lady Texans finished the game scoring more than 20 points, with Cera leading the way with 25 points. Inkina finished the game with 23 points, while Smith put up 22 points for SPC.
The Lady Texans went on the road to pull out a nail-biting 46-41victory at Western Texas College in Snyder on Jan. 30.
Two struggling offenses and strong defensive efforts by both teams were the factors in a low-scoring game.
In the first quarter, the Lady Texans were outscored by the Lady Westerners, 12-9.
With momentum on the side of Western Texas, the Lady Texans trailed for the rest of the first half.
In the closing minutes of the second quarter, the Lady Texans found a way to limit the Lady Westerners’ offensive production to two points. SPC took advantage of the opportunity and scored 11 consecutive points, closing the gap to 27-22 before halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Texans switched the momentum in their favor and outscored the Lady Westerners in the third quarter, finishing the quarter with the lead.
The Lady Texans capitalized on the slow defense of the Lady Westerners and scored 16 points. Along with the offensive production, SPC held Western Texas to only nine points in the third quarter, taking a 38-36 lead.
As the fourth quarter progressed, offense was non-existent for both teams with a total of 13 points scored in the final quarter. The Lady Texans held the Lady Westerners to five points in the fourth quarter, while putting up 16 points to take home the victory and improve to 20-3.
Turnovers were the main reason for the lack of offensive production, with a total of 24. However, the Lady Texans controlled the paint throughout the game, finishing with 49 rebounds.
Cera led the Lady Texans with 12 points, while Beard added 10 points.
[Photos by DOMINICK PUENTE/PLAINSMAN PRESS]
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