Dodge City men's basketball pushed #20 South Plains to the limit in the final non-conference matchup for the Conquistadors but ultimately fell 90-79.
The Conquistadors wrap up non-conference play going 2-4 with one of the toughest non-conference slates in the KJCCC.
Both teams started dropping buckets early, and it looked like it would be a shootout throughout the night, but things cooled down a bit before picking up again in the second half.
Brad Johnson Jr. set the tone early for the Conqs, draining his first three three-pointers of the night, and the Conqs went up 15-10 nearly four minutes into the contest. With just under 13 minutes remaining, the Conqs led 20-14 but then went scoreless for the next four minutes as South Plains pulled within two. With just under seven minutes left in the first half, the Conqs owned their largest lead at 27-20 and remained in front until two and a half minutes left in the first half, when South Plains took a 33-32 lead, which led to a Texans 39-36 lead at halftime.
Tied at 45-45 early in the second half, the Conqs grabbed a brief 46-45 lead, but South Plains countered, and the game went back and forth with the lead changing hands. The Conqs then fell behind by nine around the 7:09 mark and the lead would go to 11 for the Texans. The Conqs continued to push back and the game turned into a foul fest in the second half as both teams were in the double bonus with 11 minutes remaining. Down 79-68 with 2:06 left the Conqs closed the game to 84-79 with around one minute remaining but would not get any closer after forcing a few Texan turnovers to close the gap. South Plains went on to stretch the lead back to 11 and earn the 90-79 victory.
The Conqs shot just 26.7% from the floor but took 54 free throws and made 40, as the game featured 94 combined free throws.
Ashton Parker had his best showing as a Conq as he dropped 31 points in just his sixth collegiate game. Parker was 6-14 from the floor and 18-23 from the free-throw line while adding eight rebounds. Johnson Jr. chipped in 16 points with nine rebounds, while
Andrew Mabry scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
The Conqs now turn their attention to Jayhawk Conference play, which will start on Wednesday, November 18
th, on the road against Pratt.
