Box Score NEW YORK CITY – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team dropped its final game of the Fordham Holiday Classic to New Mexico State, 70-51. The loss extended the Islanders (3-8) losing streak to six games.
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"I thought we started with a lot of energy and played really hard in the first half," head coach Royce Chadwick said. "We did the things we wanted to do and executed our gameplan. We came out in the third quarter, and they had a couple of easy baskets. We made some mistakes and couldn't find Brittany. We couldn't get shots for our shooter, and it made it difficult for our offense to score.
"We need people to step up. We need to have more than one option. We've got about three days before we start conference play. We need to get that figured out."
After finding themselves behind 13-6 at the midway point of the first quarter, A&M-Corpus Christi went on a 14-2 run to take the lead midway through the first. The Aggies (10-3) rallied late in the second to hold a four-point lead at the halftime break.
In the second half, the Islanders struggled to make shots, going 28.7-percent from the floor. Following a 24-11 third quarter, New Mexico State extended its lead to as much as 21 in the final frame.
A&M-Corpus Christi committed a season-high 28 turnovers, which turned into 27 points for the Aggies. The 31.9-percent shooting for the game marked the third consecutive contest that the Islanders shot below 40-percent.
Kre'Ana Henry led the way for the blue and green on the glass, matching her career-high of eight boards, as the Islanders outrebounded an opponent for the first time in three games, 45-37.
Brittany Mbamalu bounced back after an off-day shooting against Fordham. The Houston native drained three first half 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 11 points.
FLORES IMPRESSES
Mykayla Flores had a career-day in the loss. The freshman recorded highs in points with nine and boards with six. Coach Chadwick was proud of how the point guard handled the pressure of a New Mexico State defense that came into the contest forcing 20.6 turnovers a game.
"I thought Mykayla did a really good job today," added Chadwick. "Facing a defense as strong as that, she only turned it over one time. She didn't succumb to the pressure. We've got a freshman who can handle that pressure, we're excited to build on her performance tonight."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Islanders will open Southland Conference play on Jan. 5 against Central Arkansas at the American Bank Center. The Sugar Bears are 10-1 this season and lead the conference in rebounding and scoring defense.
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