In its first
Southland Conference game in school history, the Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi men made 25-of-39 free throws to propel them
to a 74-62 win over
McNeese State in front of a season-high crowd of 3,536. The Islanders have now won
four-straight, their longest win streak this season.
A combined 61 free
throws were attempted and a total of 46 fouls were called in a game
where neither team found an offensive rhythm. "We were not used to this. We are used to playing a more physical
game. It seemed like the
officials would call a foul every time we touched them," senior
guard Josh Washington said.
Four players
finished in double-figures for the Islanders, led by Cedric Smith's
14, while Josh Washington added 13. Scooby Johnson and Chris Daniels had
12 and 11 points respectively.
The Islanders
jumped out to an early 11-4 lead with 12:32 to play in the half
thanks to a 7-2 run to start the game. A&M-Corpus Christi went cold for
nearly three minutes, allowing McNeese State to take an 8-0 run and
eventually lead 19-15 with 6:41 to play. Seth Engelken broke the run when he
hit the front end of a pair of free throws that started a 15-6 run
that gave the Islanders a 30-25 lead which they would not
relinquish.
Ten of the
Islander's final 19 points came from the free throw line, where
they missed just two during that stretch. Josh Ervin hit a 3-pointer with 35
seconds to play giving A&M-Corpus Christi a 34-29 advantage
before the Cowboys' John Ford hit a running layup with three
seconds to play to close the gap to 34-31 in favor of the Islanders
at the half.
A&M-Corpus
Christi opened the half on a 13-5 run giving it a 47-36 advantage
with 14:31 to play. The
Islanders would hit a cold spell once again, going nearly five
minutes without a point, allowing McNeese State to use a 5-0 run to
close the gap to six with 10:34 to play. Engelken ended the cold streak with a
three-pointer with 9:57 to go.
Smith gave the
Islanders their largest lead of the game at 13 when he converted an
ally-oop dunk from Engelken, giving them a 54-41 advantage with
7:48 to play.
Nine of the
Islander's final 11 points came via the free throw as they went
three-plus minutes without a field goal.
McNeese State had
three-players finish in double-figures with Jarvis Bradley hitting
a game-high 18 points, picking up the game's only double-double
with 10 rebounds.
The Islanders will
continue conference play next week when they head to Natchitoches,
La. to face Northwestern State Thursday night.
