Kilgore Drops 31 as Islanders Rout UTRGV

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Facing its first road test of the season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell behind 12-6 early before sparking an 8-0 run to take the lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half. The Islanders never trailed again as junior Joseph Kilgore poured in a career high 31 points to lead the Blue and Green to a 94-72 rout of UT Rio Grande Valley in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union.
 
On fire from the tip, Kilgore scored the Islanders' (2-0) first eight points of the game. By the half he had rolled up 16, one shy of his career high. It did not take long for Kilgore to surpass his previous best and more as the junior finished 11-of-17 from the field while adding eight at the charity stripe.
 
"Joe's just tremendously talented," said head coach Willis Wilson. "We count on him for a lot of execution and a lot of subtle things that might pass most fans by. He did a tremendous job of handling the press, getting in the creases and setting our shooters up in the corners. UTRGV did a nice job of taking away the shooters and when they did, Joe made them pay at the rim. I'm just really pleased and proud of his effort tonight."
 
Kilgore's 31 points led an Islander offense that shot 54.1-percent from the field, the second straight game the Blue and Green connected on over half of its attempts. Jake Kocher added 16 to finish in double digits for the second time on the year and Rashawn Thomas added his second double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 
"I just went out there and played my game," Kilgore said of his career night. "My teammates found me and I was able to get to the rim."
 
After Antonio Green connected on his first three 3-pointers of the night, UTRGV (0-3) had the home crowd rocking with the 12-6 lead. Green scored the first nine points of the game for the Vaqueros, but the Islanders tightened the screws defensively.
 
At the end of the half, Green led UTRGV in scoring. He still sat on nine points. Following the opening three makes, the Islanders only allowed the Vaqueros to hit four of their remaining 20 shots in the half. The Blue and Green limited UTRGV to 29-percent shooting from the floor.
 
"Our basketball team is starting to give me hope," said Wilson. "Believe it or not, it's important for a coach to have hope. The hope is that we could respond in situations where we face adversity and I thought there were a number of opportunities where UTRGV could climb back into the game and we just hung in there.
 
"Even at the start when we fall behind early," Wilson continued. "UTRGV came out hot and knocked down some threes but we made adjustments. Our guys were really good with real-time adjustments and we got back to playing our style of basketball. We did a really nice job of making adjustments and just making plays throughout a 40-minute basketball game."
 
SECOND HALF RUN
 
Leading by 11 at the break, the Islanders put to rest any thoughts of a UTRGV comeback by scoring the first 11 points of the second half to double their lead.
 
Five different Islanders scored during the game-breaking run with Kilgore leading the way with four points. The run pulled the Blue and Green clear as UTRGV never closed within 12 points for the remainder of the night.
 
The Islanders shot a blistering 18-of-28 from the floor in the second half. 10 members of the Blue and Green found points in frame, led by Kilgore's 15 and Kocher's nine.
 
FORCING THE ISSUE
 
The Islanders provided pressure all night on the defensive end, forcing 26 UTRGV turnovers in the game. A&M-Corpus Christi turned those into 34 points on the offensive end to double-up the Vaqueros in points off turnovers.
 
• Ehab Amin led the defensive onslaught, recording four steals on the evening.
• Jake Kocher swiped three steals.
• Kilgore and Kyle Brown each nabbed a pair of steals as the Islanders piled up 14 on the night.
 
GOING IN
 
The Islanders pounded UTRGV inside, outscoring the Vaqueros by 36 points in the paint. A&M-Corpus Christi finished with 50 of its 94 points from inside the lane. The advantage helped the Islanders overcome a 9-of-20 day from beyond the arc for UTRGV.
 
On the glass, the Islanders out-rebounded the Vaqueros 37-34. Thomas' 11 were a game high while Kilgore added six boards to his massive night.
 
MONDAY MATCHUP
 
The Islanders return to action next Monday night as they head to San Marcos to face Texas State.