Coming out of a timeout with the ball and trailing 48-46 with
11.8 seconds remaining, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christ women?s
basketball team had an opportunity to tie or take the lead against
Houston, but Crystal Simpson blocked a three-point attempt by
Nicole Duncan as time expired to hand the Islanders their second
straight loss.
The loss dropped Texas A&M-Corpus Christi?s record to 14-4,
while the Cougars improved to 15-5.
The Islanders led 29-25 at halftime after Houston?s Shannon Steele
banked in a three-point basket as the horn sounded to end the first
half. TAMUCC held the lead despite shooting 27.3 percent from the
floor in the first 20 minutes. The Islanders built their lead by
outrebounding the Cougars 29-16 in the opening period, led by
Jackie Ododa?s 10.
Houston carried the momentum into the second half scoring the first
five points to take a 30-29 lead. It was the Cougars first lead
since scoring the first two points of the game.
Terra Andrews answered with a jumper to give her team a 31-30 lead.
It was the Islanders final lead of the game as Joann Overstreet,
who tallied 15 points, connected on a trey to give Houston a 33-31
lead.
The Islanders tied the game three times, but were never able to
regain the lead.
Houston grabbed its largest lead of four points at 43-39 as TAMUCC
went without a point for over four minutes. Lindsey Van Dorn ended
the drought with a three-point basket to make it a one-point game
with 4:09 remaining.
A three-point play by Daphne Andre extended the Cougars lead back
to four at 46-42 with 3:43 remaining. The Islanders could get no
closer than two points twice despite holding the visitors to just
two points. TAMUCC, which shot a season-low 25 percent for the
game, hit 22.6 percent of its shots in the second half on 7-of-31
shooting.
Andrews led all scorers with 16 points and missed her
sixth-straight, double-double by one rebound finishing with nine.
Nicole Duncan added 14 points, including four threes to become
TAMUCC?s all-time leader in made three-point baskets in just her
second season. Jackie Ododa grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half
and finished with 16 in the game, while Lindsey Van Dorn added 13
boards and eight points.
Sancho Lyttle had 13 defensive rebounds for Houston.
The Islanders host Longwood on Saturday at 3 p.m. in a Homecoming
doubleheader with the men at the American Bank Center.
