Box Score CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - After battling back from an eight-point deficit in the first quarter and taking a 25-23 into halftime, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team dropped its opening game of the season Friday afternoon against Cal Poly 56-45. Shay Weaver led the Islanders offensively with 10 points off the bench.
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"I thought the first half was a little nip-and-tuck situation," head coach Royce Chadwick said after the game. "We played some good defense, even though we didn't shoot the ball very well. In the second half, Cal Poly came out and knocked down some shots. We had some great open looks, but we couldn't make them, which started to hurt our defense. I thought we lost some of our defensive intensity when we didn't make our shots and started to press."
Cal Poly started the game with an 11-to-5 run before Brittany Mbamalu hit her first 3-pointer of the season to start a 16-to-2 run for the blue and green. Jennifer Ramirez recorded a three before Mbamalu converted another shot from beyond the arc, as the Islanders hit back-to-back-to-back threes on as many possessions.
A&M-Corpus Christi finished shooting 7-of-16 in the fourth quarter in an effort to catch the Mustangs, after a rough third quarter that produced three points for the Islanders. A 3-pointer from Weaver and a layup from Ramirez with two minutes remaining chipped away at the Cal Poly lead, but it was not enough to overcome
NOTES FROM THE GAME
- The Islanders held a major advantage over the Mustangs in bench scoring on Friday. Weaver and Kassie Jones chipped in 18 points, as A&M-Corpus Christi outscored Cal Poly 24-0 off the bench.
- Four Islanders made their debut against the Mustangs. Mykayla Flores, Kre'Ana Henry, Maddisen Turner and Uri Jolivette combined for six points, while Jolivette recorded a bench-high six rebounds.
- The Islanders connected on seven 3-pointers in the game, led by Mbamalu and Weaver with two apiece.
- Ramirez recorded seven points and added five assists to top her high from last year's season opener when she picked up two points and four assists against UNLV.
- Camesha Davis grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
BOUNCING BACK
The Islanders will have a quick turnaround before facing East Carolina. The Pirates outscored the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley 44-27 in the second half to open the season with a 70-59. Jada Payne recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Depth could prove to be the key against the Pirates, as the four players off the bench for East Carolina scored a collective five points against the Vaqueros.
"We have some record-setting shooters on this team. We will bounce back from this one. We shot 24-percent from the field, and we won't win any games with a shooting percentage like that. We had 14 offensive rebounds, but only managed to put three of those back in the basket. We have to play good fundamental basketball. If we don't get the shots we want, we need to get on the boards and get second chance points. "
Tip time for the second game of the eight-game homestand starts at 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center for the conclusion of the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton - Corpus Christi Islanders Classic.
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