CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Veterans and newcomers put on a show for the crowd at the Dugan Wellness Center on Sunday night, as the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team cruised to a 79-41 victory over Texas A&M-International. The Islanders' returners paved the way early, before a slew of first-year players took over in the final two quarters.
"We had a lot of different people make a contribution tonight," head coach
Royce Chadwick said. "
Uri Jolivette came in with a double-double and ignited our team in the first half. Our seniors in
Kassie Jones and
Ashanti Plummer did a lot of good things. I thought our freshmen and newcomers really got going in the second half, and they made a huge difference."
After a tentative start, Jolivette recorded seven of the team's first 13 points of the game, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds, which would have been career highs in both categories.
The 7-of-8 performance from the New Iberia, La., native sparked the offense to a 54-percent night from the field. Junior
Brianna Jackson matched Jolivette's outing and added a pair of 3-pointers, en route to a game-high 17 points. Jackson, a transfer from Independence College, credited her playing partners for setting her up in the second half.
"I feel like I got in my rhythm pretty quickly in the second half," Jackson said. "I think my teammates got me the ball and helped my find open shots. Once I knocked down a couple of shots, it allowed me to find more opportunities to score."
A&M-Corpus Christi could not pull away from the Dustdevils in the opening 10 minutes, leading by just five after the first period. Then, the senior duo of Jones and Plummer took over in the second quarter. Jones converted a pair of steals into points, and Plummer drained a pair of jumpers in the lane to give the Islanders a 37-21 lead at the break.
From that point on, the Blue and Green never looked back. Along with Jackson's 17, fellow junior-transfer
Erin Willis chipped in five points in the third quarter, before rookie
Tiara Matthews pulled down all six of her boards in that frame.
The defense stepped up in the fourth, as the Islanders outscored A&M-International 23-5. Plummer and freshman
Dalesia Booth combined for a pair of blocks, while
Emma Young, Willis and Jackson notched a steal.
A&M-Corpus Christi dominated the Dustdevils on the glass, holding a 47-22 advantage at the end of the night. Additionally, the Islanders controlled the paint, outscoring A&M-International in the lane 42-10.
POSTGAME NOTES
>> Rookie
Emma Young led the Islanders with six assists in her first outing.
>> Redshirt-senior
Ashanti Plummer finished with eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks in her first game in 20 months.
>> After struggling at the charity stripe in 2015-16, the Islanders showed a glimpse of their offseason work by going 8-10 at the line on Sunday.
>> The victory marked the fourth consecutive time that A&M-Corpus Christi topped A&M-International in an exhibition.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
A&M-Corpus Christi opens the 2016-17 campaign next Saturday at noon against Toledo. The contest will be the first meeting between the two programs. Chadwick believes that his team will be able to carry over momentum from the Sunday's outing against the Rockets.
"Toledo is a very well-coached basketball team," Chadwick added. "We are going to make mistakes against them because we are so young, but we have to keep fighting through them in order to be successful next Saturday."
ISLANDERS DIGITAL NETWORK
All Islanders home events for soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball will be broadcast live and for free on the Islanders Digital Network during the 2016-17 season. Fans can access the live video at GoIslanders.com, clicking the "Video" dropdown tab and selecting "Watch Live."
GET ON BOARD
Get on board with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics by purchasing season tickets for the 2016-17 basketball campaign today. Call (361) 825-BALL or visit GoIslanders.com for more information.
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