Box Score CORPUS CHRISTI – Rashawn Thomas (15 points, 10 rebounds) registered his second double-double in his last three games, but the Denver men's basketball team shot 55.6 percent from the field in registering a 64-48 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon at the American Bank Center. The Islanders went just 15-for-43 (.349) from the field in the loss.
John Jordan added 12 points and four assists in 38 minutes for the Islanders (3-4), while Brandon Pye turned in nine points in 34 minutes. For the Pioneers (4-3), Cam Griffin (16), Nate Engesser (13) and Brett Olson (11) all finished in double figures. Denver won the battle of the boards, 30-29, in the contest.
The Islanders came out with a bang, as Jelani Currie drilled a three to make it 3-0 in favor of the home squad, but Denver responded with seven straight points to make it 7-3. After a Brandon Pye three, the Pios went on a 9-3 run to hold a 16-6 lead at the 12:34 mark. The teams then traded baskets to an 18-10 score at the 10:16 mark.
At that juncture, the Islanders locked down defensively, embarking on a 7-0 run that culminated with a big three from Viktor Juricek to make it 18-17 at the 5:45 mark. The Pioneers countered with a 9-1 run to push the lead back up to nine before the Islanders stemmed the tide thanks to four straight points from Jordan. Bryant Rucker closed out the half by picking up an Islanders turnover and dunking it at the other end to make it 31-23 heading into the break.
Out of the half, the Pioneers mounted another rally, running off the first 12 points of the stanza to push the lead all the way to 20 on a Griffin layup. Thomas responded immediately at the other end, getting a layup and then registering a block at the other end, as he sent the Islanders on a 10-0 run of their own to cut it to 43-33.
At that point, the teams went back-and-forth on the scoreboard, and a Pye triple with 7:36 to play got the deficit into single digits, 50-41. But the Islanders could not get another clutch basket when they needed it the rest of the way, getting no closer than 10 for the remainder of the ballgame. Denver closed out the game on a 9-3 run to result in the final score.
A&M-Corpus Christi now has over a week off due to finals, and will return to the court on Monday, Dec. 15, with UTSA coming to the American Bank Center. The game will be a doubleheader with the women's team, as the men are slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. For tickets to the contest, call 825-BALL (2255).
