Road Rumble with Rice

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team hits the road for its second outing in a seven-game road swing on Thursday night with a trip to Rice.
 
The 7 p.m. tip in Tudor Fieldhouse will be streamed on C-USATV, while the Islanders Digital Network will have the audio broadcast with Doug Kesterson on the call starting with the NavyArmy Community Credit Union Pregame Show.
 
The Islanders (4-4) are looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season, after falling to Texas A&M over the weekend 84-55. Against the Aggies, Brittany Mbamalu unleashed a storm from behind the arc, raining in five 3-pointers on the afternoon. She led all scorers with 21 points. Brianna Jackson added 11, which marked the fifth time this season that multiple players were in double figures.
 
Despite the offensive surge by the Aggies on Saturday, the Islanders continue to have the second-best opponent field goal percentage in the Southland Conference at 36.2-percent. Camesha Davis has led the way with 1.6 blocks per game, while Erin Willis has amassed 17 steals on the year.
 
Mbamalu's return to the rotation revived a sluggish perimeter game. In the opening six contests of the year, the Islanders averaged 3.3 makes from downtown. Over the last two games, the Blue and Green has drained 12 3-pointers, led by Mbamalu with seven.
 
Thursday will be the sixth meeting between the Islanders and the Owls. The rivalry has been a steady seesaw with neither club winning two in-a-row over the last four contests. Last season, Shay Weaver hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining to give the Islanders a 60-55 victory in the Dugan Wellness Center. The victory was head coach Royce Chadwick's 600th of his career, becoming just the 50th coach to reach that mark.
 
Rice has enjoyed success through the first eight games of its season. The Owls are 6-2 and winners of their last three games. Shani Rainey leads Rice in scoring heading into Thursday night with 13.8 points per game. The Owls have spread the wealth on the glass, as no player has more than 4.8 rebounds per game. The Islanders will have to roll out of the gates, as Rice has outscored opponents by 61 points in the first quarter this year.
 
STAY SOCIAL
For all the latest information surrounding Islanders women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersWBB) and like the team on Facebook (Islanders Women's Basketball).