Christian Coleman recorded his sixth double-double of the season Tuesday, leading No. 14 South Plains past No. 19 Snow 80-60 in the opening round of the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout at Theo Heap Gymnasium on the campus of Mesa Community College.
SPC shot a 48.4 percent clip from the floor while forcing the Badgers to shoot just 33 percent in the contest.
Coleman finished with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the field over 33 minutes.
Jaden Harris netted 15 points and snagged five rebounds in 27 minutes, while Ismail Habib finished with 14 points and three boards.
South Plains netted 44 points inside the paint, forcing the Badgers to commit 19 turnovers resulting in 19 points on the offensive end.
The Texans improve to 11-1 on the season with Tuesday’s victory, extending their win streak to 10 games dating back to Nov. 7.
Five Texans scored in double figures Thursday as No. 14 South Plains pounded Seward County 100-63 at Theo Heap Gymnasium in their final game of the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout.
SPC improves to 12-2 on the season and has won 10 of their last 11 outings and will be back on the hardwood on Monday, Jan. 9 in Roswell when they open conference play against New Mexico Military Institute at 7:30 p.m. MST.
“Our success has come from playing together, and we are locked in on our goal which is to go 1-0 every day,” said Ismail Habib, who finished with a teamhigh 19 points and 10 assists for South Plains. “We are going to keep improving, cut down on turnovers, and keep listening to our coaches in key moments. We know what this team can do and we will continue to get better at the little things.”
Habib finished five of 10 from the field and knocked down seven of eight free throws over 32 minutes.
Christian Coleman scored in double figures for the 14th consecutive game, dropping in 16 points and dished out five assists over 25 minutes.
Elijah Tate tallied 14 points and six boards, connecting on five of 12 shots from the floor over 21 minutes.
“I was able to get in a rhythm offensively and got the ball inside like our coaches wanted us to,” Tate said. “ We’re playing well together, trusting each other, and playing hard as a team. We have room to improve in every aspect of the game because a great team never stops improving.”
South Plains shot over 55 percent from the floor, bucketing 38 of 69 shots and connected on six 3s in the contest. The Texans forced Seward into 24 turnovers, resulting in 34 points on the offensive end, and netted 15 points on second-chance opportunities.