Cole Cooks Bulldogs

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Thanksgiving break will be a little sweeter for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after the Islanders ran past Jarvis Christian 84-61 for the first 4-0 start in program history.
 
While it was not always pretty, the Islanders grinded through ups-and-downs to pull away down the stretch.
 
"Anytime you can win the night before Thanksgiving or the night before the guys break for Christmas is a good win," said head coach Willis Wilson. "I think it's human nature for young guys to have a little bit of a let down, especially this time of year."
 
Redshirt-senior Cole Martinez led the Islanders with a second consecutive career night. After dropping 18 points in Monday's win at Texas State, the guard burned Stripes Court at the American Bank Center to the tune of 30 points.
 
"Cole's been here and he knows what is expected," said Wilson. "He's done a great job of utilizing that redshirt year to prepare for this season. He gets it, he knows his moments and knows what he needs to do to contribute to this team. You have to give him credit to be willing to redshirt last year. He had the maturity to realize all the advantages that year brought, not only on the court, but academically, socially and in his career. He's done a great job of taking advantage of the situation."
 
Martinez was money from beyond the arc, burying seven 3-pointers to mark the second most in program history. Six of those came in the second half where Martinez poured in 23 of his 30.
 
After a 7-0 Jarvis Christian run cut the lead to 42-35 at the break, the Islanders used a 16-0 run of their own to pull away early in the second. Martinez keyed the run with back-to-back-to-back treys and the Islanders never looked back.

Cole ?? to start the 2nd #GoDers pic.twitter.com/EYvo5uWoB9

— Islanders MBB (@IslandersMBB) November 24, 2016

 
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
 
Both Rashawn Thomas and Joseph Kilgore finished the night with double-doubles. It's the first time the Islanders have had a pair of double-doubles since Thomas and Bryce Douvier accomplished the feat on February 20 against Incarnate Word.
 
Thomas' double was part of a well-rounded night as he finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks. Kilgore ended his evening with 19 points and 10 boards while adding six assists as well.
 
BLOCK PARTY
 
A&M-Corpus Christi held Jarvis Christian to just 30-percent from the floor. A big part of that was 11 blocks from five different Islanders.
 
It was the most blocks for the Blue and Green since rejecting a dozen Southeastern Louisiana attempts last January. Along with Thomas' six, freshman Elijah Schmidt sent back three Bulldog offerings while Martinez, Kilgore and Ehab Amin each recorded a block.
 
DISHING DIMES
 
The Islanders were in a giving mood Wednesday night, handing out 23 assists on 31 made baskets. It's the second time in 2016-17 the Blue and Green have piled up more than 20 assists.
 
• Thomas led the way with seven helpers.
• Kilgore dished out another six assists.
• Six other Islanders recorded an assist on the night.
 
"We were able to move the ball a lot," said Martinez. "We had 23 assists on 31 made shots and anytime you can do that and play collectively as a team, that's a good thing. To be honest though, for a 23-point win, it's the most frustrating 23-point win I've been a part of. We had spurts we were playing level five basketball and then we had times we weren't clicking. There's a lot to clean up, but anytime you get a win in college basketball it's a good night."
 
SHOWDOWN TUESDAY
 
The Islanders return following the Thanksgiving break to face UT Rio Grande Valley Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union. In the previous matchup in the Valley, the Islanders rolled to a 94-72 win last Wednesday.