Thomas Shines as Islanders Roll in Tune-up

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – It took just seven seconds before Rashawn Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws Saturday and sent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to a coast-to-coast 106-75 win over Concordia (Tx.) in the Islanders' lone exhibition.
 
"We really had a lot of carry over from practice," said sixth-year head coach Willis Wilson. "We had great intensity but a little too much fouling and a few too many turnovers. All-in-all, we did a great job on the defensive side of the ball. We forced the tempo of the basketball game, were really active with our hands and feet and were pretty good on the glass. There's some things we can fix but for the first time out, I thought it was a great effort."
 
Thomas scored the Islanders first six points of the night as the Blue and Green never trailed and never allowed Concordia to even the score after the big man's opening point. For Thomas, the opening run was just the start of his onslaught on the Tornados. The senior looked sharp in his first action of the season, finishing with a whopping 32 points and 17 rebounds.
 
"I felt like I had a good rhythm tonight," said Thomas. "I've been working really hard over the summer and preseason to expand my game and give the team what it needs to be a little bit more special this year. I was in a good rhythm, but tonight was really all about getting the young guys in action."
 
A trio of Islanders would join Thomas in double figures as Ehab Amin dropped 16, Cole Martinez 12 and Jake Kocher 10. All 13 Islanders that played scored as part of the 100-plus point night since January 1, 2014.
 
The quartet of veterans accounted for 66-percent of the Islanders points on the night, leading an offensive effort which finished with the team shooting 52-percent from the floor. A big part of that came thanks to the Islanders' effort on the defensive end, where A&M-Corpus Christi created 28 turnovers.
 
Joseph Kilgore and Kyle Brown led the defense, snagging five steals a piece. The Islanders tallied 18 as team, leading to 24 points on the break and 31 off turnovers.
 
OUT OF THE GATE
 
The Islanders wrest control of the game with a pair of early runs. Martinez and Kocher combined for 10 points in a 12-0 Islanders run before Thomas and freshman Alex Holcombe sparked a 9-0 run moments later. The two runs were separated by just one Tornado bucket, an Ephriam Price three-ball, as the Blue and Green outscored Concordia 25-6 over the opening seven minutes and change.
 
THOMAS TAKES OVER
 
Exhibition games are designed to shake off any residual rust from the offseason, but Thomas showed none in the post Saturday night. His 32 points and 17 boards came in just 23 minutes of action as the Islanders cruised to victory.
 
"Rashawn was really, really steady," said Wilson. "I think that's the best way to describe his night. His rhythm was really nice throughout the game and he never got himself in any challenging situations out on the court. He was very fluid and the thing that really impressed me was even when he got fatigued with some extended minutes he was still able to guard their little guys, rebound and put the ball in the hoop."
 
Making the night even more impressive, Thomas racked up his double-double in the first half alone. At the break, the forward had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Islanders to a 52-33 advantage. Thomas finished his night a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor and added 16 points at the charity stripe.
 
FRESHMAN FIND FOOTING
 
All six true freshman saw their first taste of action with the Islanders in the exhibition win. Perry Francois led the rookies with eight points in just six minutes while hitting the glass for five rebounds as well.
 
• Elijah Schmidt played 12 minutes to lead all the newcomers, scoring two points and adding three boards.
• York Benjamin added six points and four rebounds in 10 minutes.
• Alex Holcombe and Jamell Bradley each scored four points apiece.
 
"The young guys had a really good effort," said Wilson. "Sometimes those guys are a little hard on themselves. We have a community, a family that has high expectations for those young guys. They're hard on themselves, we're hard on them but today I thought they performed much, much better than what we've seen in practice."
 
REGULAR SEASON READY
 
The Islanders return to action next Friday for the regular season opener versus Our Lady of the Lake. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center.