Islanders Host UTRGV Tuesday

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Off to the first 4-0 start in Islanders history, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hosts rival UT Rio Grande Valley Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on Stripes Court at the American Bank Center in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union. 
 
The Islanders and Vaqueros are meeting for the 20th time with A&M-Corpus Christi leading the series 13-6. In Corpus Christi, the Islanders hold a 6-3 advantage over the Vaqueros. At 4-0, the Islanders are one of just 26 unbeatens remaining the nation.
 
SOUTH TEXAS SHOWDOWN
 
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Rio Grande Valley meet for the second time this season to conclude the men's basketball portion of the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union.
• In the first meeting, the Islanders ran past UTRGV 94-72 in Edinburg behind a career-high 31 points from junior guard Joseph Kilgore.
•The Islanders now lead the South Texas Showdown series by a 12-11 margin.
 
MARTINEZ MAGIC
 
• Redshirt senior Cole Martinez has posted back-to-back games with a career high in points.
• Wednesday night against Jarvis Christian, Martinez poured in 30 to lead the Islanders hitting seven 3-pointers.
• The seven threes were the second most in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi history.
• Two days earlier, he dropped a then career-high 18 points in the win at Texas State.
• At the line, Martinez was 8-for-8 marking the most free throws without a miss for an Islander since Shannon Shorter November 13, 2007.
 
STEALING THE SHOW
 
• The Islanders rank 13th in the country in steals per game and lead the Southland Conference with 10 thefts per contest.
• Junior guard Ehab Amin paces the Islanders and leads the conference with three steals per game. He ranks seventh nationally.
•Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has scored 79 points off of turnovers, averaging 19.8 points per game off of turnovers.
 
THE LAST TIME VS. VAQUEROS
 
• Two weeks ago, the Islanders traveled to the Valley for the first road trip of the season. After falling behind 12-6 early, the Islanders went on an 8-0 run to take the lead at the under 12 mark of the first half and never trailed again.
• Junior Joseph Kilgore had a career night, dropping 31 on the Vaqueros on 11-of-17 shooting for the Blue and Green.
• Kilgore's outburst helped the Islanders to their eighth straight win over UTRGV.
• Rashawn Thomas went for a double-double in the win, dropping 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
 
THANK YOU KILLEBREWS
 
Tuesday night will also feature a special thank you to Dr. and Mrs. Killebrew for all their contributions to Islanders athletics over the past decade. A halftime ceremony will honor the Killebrews and recognize their achievements in elevating the athletics program to new heights on the Island.