SGSC falls to No. 5 South Plains in NJCAA Sweet 16

South Georgia State College’s bid to join the Elite Eight at the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament fell short Wednesday afternoon. The No. 5 seed South Plains College Texans pulled away late in the second half to defeat SGSC 91-80 and snapped the Hawks’ 11-game winning streak.

Four Hawks finished the game in double figures – Jalen King led SGSC with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Coffee had 17 points, while Daniel Parrish finished with 15 points and six assists. Bryce Brown rounded out the top scorers with 11 points.

SGSC scored the game’s first basket then watched South Plains build a 17-point lead late in the first half. The Hawks cut into the lead and only trailed by nine (45-36) at halftime.

The Hawks would get as close as five points with three minutes remaining in the game before the Texans began their final push to advance to the tournament quarterfinals.

SGSC’s season ends with a 23-4 record and the team’s first GCAA Conference Tournament Championship since 2011.