Road Resolve

SAN MARCOS, Texas –For the first time in a decade Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is 3-0 to open the season. The Islanders won on the road for the second straight game, knocking off Texas State 73-69 Monday night in Strahan Coliseum.
 
Leading by just three with 1:28 to play, the Blue and Green sealed the victory at the charity stripe. Ehab Amin knocked down four while Cole Martinez added six as the Islanders (3-0) went a perfect 10-for-10 at the line over the final minute and a half.
 
"We expected it to be a grind," said head coach Willis Wilson. "We've had a lot of experience against Danny Kaspar teams and Texas State. With them coming off a road swing for their home opener, we knew that we were going to have to come in and grind it out.
 
"I feel like our resolve was what really made the difference," continued Wilson. "We faced adversity at different times and responded to it well. I thought we did a really good job of making free throws down the stretch. Our team mentality of being together really paid dividends and made the difference."
 
Martinez finished the game leading the Islanders with a career-high 18 points. Eight of those came on free throws as the redshirt senior went a perfect 8-for-8 at the line, including the pivotal six down the stretch. The guard ended the night 4-of-9 from the field including a pair from beyond the arc.
 
Three other Islanders capped their night in double figures as Amin dropped a dozen, Rashawn Thomas added 15 and Joseph Kilgore knocked home 10.
 
"We played to our strengths in the second half," said Martinez. "We were able to spread them out and simplified things on our side to isolate one side of the floor. We were able to penetrate the open gaps and kick to open guys on the perimeter to make shots."
 
TURNING THE TIDE
 
Much like last season's meeting at the American Bank Center, the first 20 minutes in San Marcos were a defensive slugfest. The Islanders shot just 32-percent from the floor in the opening half and found themselves trailing at the break for the first time this season.
 
The second half was a different story.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi shot 44-percent from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 beyond the arc in the second half en route to 47 points. Perhaps the difference maker in the contest, the Islanders made 22 trips to the charity stripe in the second half. 20 of those found the bottom of the net.
 
A big part of the second half turnaround was the play of Thomas. After being limited to just three points in the first half, the forward poured in a dozen while playing the entirety of the second half.
 
"The big key to us pulling this off in the second half was our ability to stay together," said Thomas. "We had a lot of missed executions and defensive mistakes in the first half, but we had lot of communication that settled us down and helped us stay together. We were locked in in the second half and that's what helped us get the win."
 
HITTING THE GLASS
 
After being out-rebounded in the first half 17-15, the Islanders flipped the script and pulled down 22 boards in the second half. Eight of those were offensive as the Islanders dropped in eight second chance points over the final 20 minutes.
 
"They had an advantage on the glass, and we talked about that during the halftime break to make the adjustment and get more guys on the glass," said Wilson. "The adjustments were more mental than physical. Our guys needed to have the mindset to go and get more basketballs and play with a little more of that grind."
 

Elijah with the putback jam!!! ???? up 2 pic.twitter.com/6GW1mXRnuY

— Islanders MBB (@IslandersMBB) November 22, 2016

TEAM TAKEAWAYS
 
• Jake Kocher finished just shy of double figures with nine points on the night.
• Ehab Amin and Joe Kilgore each recorded four steals as the Islanders swiped 10 balls from the Bobcats.
• Four different Islanders recorded a block as the Blue and Green rejected Texas State five times.
 
WEDNESDAY WELCOME HOME
 
Following a pair of road wins, the Islanders return to Corpus Christi and the American Bank Center to face Jarvis Christian Wednesday night. Tipoff Is slated for 7:30 p.m. following the women's basketball game against Montana Tech.