Cowboys Rally Falls Shorts Against South Plains 80-75 in Elite 8 Game at NJCAA National Tournament

HUTCHINSON, KAN. –It was heartbreak for 13^th-ranked Connors State as the Cowboys battled back from an 18-point first half deficit to come within point of South Plains, Tex., late in the second half, only to see their dream of a Final Four fade.

 The Texans escaped the Cowboys 80-75 in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA National Tournament Thursday night at the Sports Arena, before 4,000 fans.

 Trailing 39-21 with 4:55 remaining in the first half, the 12-seeded Cowboys (31-4) rallied with an improbable comeback in the final 20 minutes of play.

"It's always tough to end the season like this, it would have been easier to get blown out like the first half," said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. "We had our chances, when we cut it to three, then two and one.

"It's a team game, you win together and lose together," said Muse.

The Cowboys never led in the game.

Connors battled back to within a single point with 1:18 remaining 76-75 with freshman Mason Jones, who finished with 14 points, on the line with two free throws.

But it was not to be.

 The DeSota, Texan missed both charity tosses after Langston, who finished with 27 points, pulled the Cowboys to within one point of the Texans.

"Those free throws are going to bother him for a long, long time," said Muse adding, "If we would have done better in the first half, we wouldn't have been in that position in the second half.

"We let it get away from us in the first half and had to fight back from such a deficit. I am real proud of our guys, they never gave up, and they fought."

Muse gave all the credit to South Plains (27-8), who had five players in double figure scoring, advances to the Final Four against Eastern Florida (29-4) Friday night after defeating Barton County, Kan. 82-80.

"You try to shutdown one guy down and the next one steps up," said Muse. "They are a very talented team.

"We didn't shoot the ball the way we did Wednesday. We made just two threes (2-13) and they made eight (8-21)."

The Cowboys shot 46 percent from the field (29-of-62), while South Plains was 28-of -59 for 47.5 percent, but was a blistering 58.8 percent the opening half to surge to the 18-point half time advantage.

"Real proud that our guys fought to the very end," said Muse "Overall it was a heck of a season; we won the conference, the region, got to the Elite Eight.  Then beat some quality basketball teams here."

Connors trailed 50-32 at the half, and then began its assault on the Texans in the final 20 minutes.

Behind Langston, Mason, Bishop Coulter (13 points), and Daris Roy (8 points), Connors cut the Texans lead to 10 points 64-54 with 8:00 remaining.

Bishop sliced the lead eight with 7:22 left, when the Texans' Isaiah Maurcie (10 points) was whistled for two technicals and ejected from the game after scoring for an 11-point margin 69-58.

CSC's Langston converted two free throws, followed by a bucket by Roy and A.J. Cochrell (12 points) making it a five point game, 69-64 at the 6-minute mark.

Connors outscored the Texans 11-4 over the next five minutes closing to within a point 76-75 with 1:18 left.

South Plains then scored five points in the remaining time converting four free throws to ice the victory, after a series of timeouts by both head coaches.

The Texans' scoring was led by Chris Orlina with 19 points, Keith McGee 17, Deshawn Corprew and Ben Perez with 14 each.

SOUTH PLAINS, TEX. 80, CONNORS STATE 75

South Plains, Tex. (27-8)—Orlina 19, McGee 17, Corprew 14,Perez 14, Maurice 10,doby 4,Washington 2.

Connors State (31-4)—Langston 27, Mason 14, Coulter 13, Cockrell 12, Roy 8.