Box Score CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team moved to 2-2 on the season with a 57-42 win over Western New Mexico on Monday night at the American Bank Center. Brittany Mbamalu and Shay Weaver combined for 31 points, most of which came in the first and fourth quarters.
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"We came out and hit our first shot of the game, and thought that this would be an easy game," head coach Royce Chadwick said. "At the end of the first quarter, our girls looked up, saw that were behind and realized that nothing was easy. We gave up 14 points in the first quarter, but we turned it around and gave up 28 points the rest of the game.
"Shay was a big part of our success tonight. Coming off the shot against Rice, she showed that big time players make big time plays. She gave us a shot in the arm when we needed some energy in the second half. Camesha Davis gave us some energy in the first half by getting us some offensive rebounds. She really made a difference, but we had way too many people who thought it would easy tonight and didn't come in focused."
THE GAME
In the opening frame, neither side could muster a run to create early separation. Brittany Mbamalu dominated the quarter, shooting 3-of-4 from downtown and racking up 11 points.
The second quarter produced similar results, as Maddisen Turner capped an offensive play for the Islanders with a good post move to give the blue and green a two-point lead at halftime.
As Mbamalu's hot hand cooled in the second half, Shay Weaver's streaky shooting was just beginning. The Arlington native picked up the first three points of the third quarter for the hosts and added five points to a seven-point lead early in the final period, before the Islanders went on an 11-3 run to finish the game.
NOTABLE STATS
- Jennifer Ramirez dished out a new season-high in assists tonight with seven. The Bronx, N.Y., native scored five points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
- Camesha Davis asserted herself in the post tonight, pulling down eight rebounds, blocking two shots and recording three steals.
- Turner had another impressive game in her young career. The freshman tied her career-high with eight rebounds and added 11 points.
- The Islanders have thrived in the second half this season, outscoring opponents 121-97 this season. On Wednesday, A&M-Corpus Christi limited the Mustangs to just 19 second-half points and shot 43.3-percent from the field.
HOT HANDS
- After a slow start to the season, Weaver has taken her scoring average to 13.8 per game after a 15-point performance tonight, which included 6-of-12 shooting in the second half.
- Brittany Mbamalu connected on five of her first seven shots in the game. The redshirt sophomore is connecting on 33.3-percent of her 3-point attempts this season. Mbamalu needs 15 more 3-pointers to reach sixth all-time with 108.
WHAT'S NEXT
Chadwick's squad will rest for an entire week before facing UT-Rio Grande Valley at the Dugan Wellness Center on Dec. 1. The Vaqueros are 3-2 this season but play at UC Santa Barbara and TCU this week and will have two days off before coming to the Coastal Bend.
For all the latest information surrounding Islanders women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersWBB) and like the team on Facebook (Islanders Women's Basketball). Download the Islanders Front Row App for your mobile device by going to GoIslanders.com/FrontRow.
