Box Score CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For three quarters on Monday night, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team (3-4) shot 44-percent from the field against UNLV (7-2) and entered the fourth quarter trailing by one point; however, a six-point fourth by the Islanders allowed the Lady Rebels to pull away to a 65-51 victory.
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"I thought we executed very well through the first 32 to 33 minutes," head coach Royce Chadwick said. "In the final seven minutes, they started to get a little more physical, and we didn't handle that very well. We allowed the physical nature of the game really affect how we played the game.
"In the first half, we were down 10 points and found a way to get back into the game. In the second half, we got some stops when we really needed them, but we didn't get any field goals and you won't win if you don't score in the fourth quarter."
THE GAME
The Islanders put Friday night's game against Angelo State in the rearview mirrow, as they entered the first quarter on a streak, opening a 14-6 lead with four minutes remaining behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Brittany Mbamalu and Kassie Jones. The Lady Rebels would spark a run of their own to cut the margin to one, a consistent theme through the first three quarters.
UNLV jumped out to a 10-point lead in the second quarter with a 13-0 run. A long ball by Shelby Miskell, followed by a Kre'Ana Henry layup, tied the game up at 27-27 going into the half to cap an 11-1 run by the hosts.
Mbamalu led the Islanders out of the halftime break with back-to-back shots from long range, one coming from NBA range, as the blue and green started the third on a 12-2 run. Much like the first half, UNLV tied the game with a run of their own, propelled by 3-pointers from Dakota Gonzalez, part of her game-high 25 points, and Brooke Johnson.
In the fourth, UNLV went on a 9-0 run through the first 6:35. During that stretch, A&M-Corpus Christi missed five shots and turned the ball over three times. Maddisen Turner picked up four points in the remaining minutes to try to close the gap, but the Lady Rebels' lead was too much for the Islanders to overcome.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
- Coming into the game, the Lady Rebels were ranked fourth in the nation in rebounding with 49.13 boards per game. The Islanders outrebounded the visitors by five, 33-28.
- In their previous game, UNLV pulled down 21 offensive rebounds against Houston. Strong post play by Henry, Camesha Davis and Turner held the Lady Rebels to six offensive boards.
- 6-foot-4 Aley Rohde entered the game averaging 9.8 rebounds per game. The trio of post players limited the UNLV center to just five rebounds.
NOTABLE STATS
- Henry bounced back from a tough night on Friday to secure career-highs in points with 10 and rebounds with eight against the Lady Rebels.
- Mbamalu recorded a season-high 17 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-9 from downtown.
- Mykayla Flores' four assists tied her career-high, which she set against Rice back on Nov. 18.
MBAMALU FROM LONG RANGE
- Friday night was the fifth time that Mbamalu had reached double-digits in scoring. The Houston native improved her team-leading scoring average to 11.3 this season.
- Connecting on four 3-pointers, Mbamalu now has 104 career made shots from behind the arc. She is now four away from tying Kirbria Lewis in sixth place all-time.
- The redshirt sophomore is shooting 38.3-percent from deep, 23-of-60. Her 3.3 3-pointers per game average leads the Southland Conference.
WHAT'S NEXT
The marathon week continues when Houston comes to town on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip in the Dugan. The game will be final match on the longest homestand in the nation for the Islanders.
STAY SOCIAL
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