CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team wrapped up its home non-conference slate on Tuesday night in the Dugan Wellness Center with a 73-44 victory over Schreiner.
The Islanders (4-3) saved their best for last, finishing the night with their largest lead of the game. After dominating the first 10 minutes, the Blue and Green never looked back, maintaining a lead of 15 points or more for the rest of the night.
"I thought we came out with a greater intensity on defense," head coach
Royce Chadwick said. "I thought our rotations were better, and continued to get better as the game wore on. I thought we did a very good job communicating on the defensive end."
A&M-Corpus Christi locked down the Mountaineers (1-5) on the defensive end, recording 12 steals, one shy of the season high.
Erin Willis led the way with six takeaways, the 11th most in a single game in program history, as the Blue and Green forced 18 Schreiner turnovers.
On the offensive side,
Dalesia Booth and
Emma Young each posted their third game in double figures this season, recording a team-high 10 points. A&M-Corpus Christi shot 43.1-percent from the field on the night, which is the fourth time it has shot over 40-percent this season.
"I thought we did a good job of taking care of the basketball," Chadwick continued. "We had just two turnovers at the half. The second half was a little sloppier, but we need to tighten up our efforts at the line. We can't miss 17 free throws when we go on the road to Texas A&M on Saturday."
The Islanders held a plus-23 rebound advantage at the end of the night, carried by Booth, who missed out on her first career double-double by one board. A&M-Corpus Christi won the rebounding battle for the fifth time this season, and are 4-1 when besting an opponent on the glass.
CLOSING OUT THE CHALLENGE
>> The win on Tuesday gave the Islanders a perfect 3-0 record in the Holiday Inn North Padre Island Challenge, including victories over Montana Tech and Panhandle State.
>>
Dalesia Booth was an offensive power with 13.7 points per game, followed by
Camesha Davis and
Emma Young with 9.7 points, each.
>> A&M-Corpus Christi held a 29.3-point winning margin per game through the three outings, while shooting 46-percent from the floor.
>> Senior
Ashanti Plummer finished the Challenge with nine rebounds per game.
EVERYONE GETS A PIECE OF THE ACTION
While
Dalesia Booth and
Emma Young were the leading scorers on the night, 12 of the 13 active players either scored or assisted on a basket. The Blue and Green set a season low with just 10 giveaways.
The key to the offensive output was moving the ball to open teammates. A&M-Corpus Christi recorded a season-high 15 assists, including a career-high five dimes from
Emma Young.
"I thought getting the ball to my teammates helped us open up the floor," Young said. "I was able to get them some good looks, and they took advantage of them. Helping them get started early and playing good defense allowed me to get into my groove tonight."
SHUTOUT START
The first quarter set the tone for the entire night defensively, holding the Mountaineers scoreless for the first five minutes. Schreiner's five points in the opening stanza set an Islanders record for fewest points allowed in a quarter, breaking the previous mark of six points set against Panhandle State on Nov. 30.
A&M-Corpus Christi held the Mountaineers to 2-of-15 shooting from the floor, while outrebounding them 14-8 in the first 10 minutes.
HITTING FROM DEEP
Through the opening six games of the year, the Islanders have struggled to find their rhythm from beyond the arc. Entering Tuesday's game, the Blue and Green was averaging just 2.8 3-pointers per night.
A pair of makes from
Brittany Mbamalu and
Emma Young helped A&M-Corpus Christi set a season high with six makes from downtown.
CATCHING UP WITH COLLEGE STATION
The Islanders will hit the road for the next seven games, a road trip that runs until Jan. 2. A&M-Corpus Christi opens the road swing on Saturday at Texas A&M with a 2 p.m. tip on SEC+.
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- Go Islanders -
