Late Half Woes Stall Islanders

MORAGA, Calif.  – In a game of runs, it was No. 19 Saint Mary's who made a pair of decisive late-half moves to stifle upset-minded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 67-46 inside McKeon Pavilion Tuesday night.
 
"Saint Mary's is a very good basketball team," said head coach Willis Wilson. "There's a lot to be learned from the way they play and just their ability to stay together and play their game. I thought we did a lot of good things. I don't think the final score is indicative of this basketball game. We chipped away and got that thing down to five, but we've got to find a couple more guys that can make a play or two for us in those situations."
 
For a 21-point final margin, the Islanders (7-3) showed much better than the final line.  Rashawn Thomas poured in 22 for his third consecutive 20-point night and fourth in the past five games. Ehab Amin added 17 as the pair provided 39 of A&M-Corpus Christi's 46 points on the evening.
 
With nine minutes to play in the game, the Islanders had sliced a 15-point halftime deficit to just five at 47-42. The Blue and Green mustered just four points the rest of the way as Saint Mary's closed with a thunderous 20-4 run to pull away.
 
The run was reminiscent of the first half, where the Islanders trailed 21-17 with 6:37 to play before the break. The Gaels (9-1) locked down defensively and held the Islanders without a bucket for the remainder of the half. The lone point came on a Thomas free throw as Saint Mary's built a 15-point cushion.
 
Calvin Hermanson led the Gaels with 19 on the night. 18 of those came in the opening 20 minutes where the forward knocked down all four three-pointers. Center Jock Landale notched a double-double, scoring 15 and securing 13 rebounds while Joe Rahon added 14 points to give the Gaels three in double figures.
 
Yet it was Saint Mary's defense that proved the difference. The Gaels held the Islanders to 35-percent shooting for the Blue and Green's lowest percentage of the season. Saint Mary's also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Islanders 45-27.
 
"At the end of the first half, we let it get away from us in a way that it never should have," said Wilson. "The same thing happened at the end of the ballgame. We gave up a couple of offensive rebounds, had a couple of things go against us and didn't deal with the adversity the way we need to."
 
SULTAN OF SWAT
 
As part of his big night against the Gaels, Thomas broke the school record for career blocks. With a pair of rejections, one in either half, Thomas recorded his 171st swat to pass former great Chris Daniels.
 
Thomas also fell two boards shy of a double-double, grabbing eight caroms to lead the Islanders.
 
FASTEST HANDS IN THE WEST
 
Entering the night, Ehab Amin sat third in the nation in steals with 3.3 per contest but the Gaels were no-easy target. Saint Mary's walked into the game leading the nation in ball security, averaging just nine turnovers per game.
 
Even against the sure-handed Gaels, Amin found a way, knocking away five steals. For the guard, it marks his sixth game with at least four steals and gives him 35 on the season.
 
COWBOY CLASH
 
The Islanders wrap the non-conference slate Thursday afternoon with a 12 p.m. showdown at Oklahoma State. Fans are encouraged to join fellow Islander faithful at Fuzzy's Taco Shop on S Staples St. for the official watch party Thursday.
 
"Saint Mary's is a very good basketball team. There's a lot to be learned from the way they play and just their ability to stay together and play their game. I thought we did a lot of good things. I don't think the final score is indicative of this basketball game. We chipped away and got that thing down to five, but we've got to find a couple more guys that can make a play or two for us in those situations.