CORPUS CHRISTI - The Islanders women's basketball team rallied from an 18-point deficit to
defeat Texas Southern, 68-63, at the American Bank Center Saturday afternoon. With the win, the team improved to 3-7 on the year.
Camesha Davis, a sophomore, was the best player on the floor for the Islanders. The 6-foot-1 forward played all 40 minutes in the game and led the team with 22 points while pulling down a career-high 16 rebounds.
"Camesha Davis was a big-time player for us today, especially while we were trying to get our offense going," said head coach Royce Chadwick. "Everybody made a contribution today though.
"We had some people come off the bench that have not had the opportunities to show what they could do and I think they got out there and made a contribution in a positive way."
The story of the first half was turnovers for the Islanders, as the team lost the ball 21 times. The Lady Tigers scored 16 of their 36 points in the half via the turnover, many of which came on the fast break. A&M-Corpus Christi showed great resolve though, ending the half on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to 12 points.
"I thought the run at the end of the first half has very big, it helped give us hope going into the locker room," said Chadwick. "It was still a double-digit deficit but we came out in the second half and set the tone from the start."
A&M-Corpus Christi was able to hold on to the ball much better in the second half, turning it over just nine times. Ten Islanders scored in the second half, including leading scorer Shay Weaver. The Arlington, Texas, native was held scoreless in the first half, but made shots when they mattered as the Islanders clawed their way back into the game.
The Islanders also did a tremendous job at the free-throw line, going 27-for-31 (.871) at the stripe, the third time this season, the Islanders have bested 85 percent in a game.
Sophomore Kassie Jones scored eight of her 10 points in the second half and jump-started the Islanders with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 53 apiece with 7:51 remaining. Texas Southern would not lead again.
"We were much more aggressive in the second half today. In the first half we were tentative and I thought Texas Southern's defense was very aggressive and they were dictating the tempo," noted Chadwick. "We talked to them and told them that this season is going to turn around at some point and it might as well turn around right now."
The Islanders surrendered 21 points off of their miscues in the game, but more than made up for it in the rebounding category. A&M-Corpus Christi out-rebounded the Lady Tigers 54-22 in the game. The team was able to collect 17 offensive rebounds and outscore TSU 23-6 in second-chance points.
Ten Islanders scored in the game including freshman forward Jaiton Walls. The Round Rock, Texas native hit both of her free throw attempts and grabbed five rebounds in just five minutes of action. Junior forward Gee Lawler also provided a spark off the bench, scoring four points and pulling down four rebounds.
"This was a huge game for a group of inexperienced players because now they get to go home with some momentum and they are able to think about the things you did well," Chadwick explained. "We played a lot better in the second half and I'm really happy we were able to pick up the win."
The Islanders will break for the holidays and return to action Dec. 30 when they host Huston-Tillotson at the American Bank Center at 5 p.m. The game will be a doubleheader with Islanders Men's Basketball, which faces Jarvis Christian at 7:30.
For the latest team information, like the team on Facebook (Islanders Women's Basketball), and follow the Islanders on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersWBB).
