17 Steals Solidify Victory

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Ehab Amin swiped seven steals to tie the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi single-game record as the Islanders scored 24 points off of 21 turnovers to race past St. Mary's (Tx.) 77-67 on Stripes Court inside the American Bank Center.
 
Amin's seven swipes equaled Kevin Palmer's 2008 effort at Georgia for the most steals in a single game by an Islander. The junior guard added 15 points and six rebounds to complete a well-rounded effort in the victory.
 
"It really started with my teammates and their ball pressure," said Amin of his gaudy night defensively. "It makes it easier for me to play off the ball and steal the ball and get out in transition. Our team identity is to be great defensively and create easy points for us."
 
Forward Rashawn Thomas hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, pouring in a game-high 23 points. The game marks the eighth straight double-figure night for the senior to start the season.  Joseph Kilgore dropped in 10 to round out the trio of Islanders in double-digits.
 
"A conversation we had in the locker room after the game was let's take this and be happy," said head coach Willis Wilson. "We did so many good things. If this would have been a 35-minute game, we would have felt really good at the end of it. We lost a little focus in the last five minutes and give [St. Mary's] credit, they did a nice job of coming back."
 
After a 10-10 start to the game, the Islanders (6-2) went on a 12-0 run to open up a sizeable lead. The Blue and Green outscored the Rattlers (2-6) 26-8 to close the half.
 
Seemingly in cruise control, the Islanders opened up a 25-point lead with 6:54 to play in the game. At 70-45, little was in doubt, but the Rattlers at least made it interesting down the stretch. A&M-Corpus Christi scored just seven points in the final seven minutes while St. Mary's hit five three-pointers to close the margin to 10 at the buzzer.
 
AMIN'S AWESOME NIGHT
 
Entering the night with an average of 2.9 steals per game, Amin over doubled his season average Friday. The guard poked seven balls away from the Rattlers, setting a career high and tying the school record.
 
"Turnovers are like atomic bombs," said Wilson. "They are incredibly hard to defend—there's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. When you turn the ball over it gives coaches grey hairs. When you can force your opposition into turnovers, you get excited because those tend to be high-percentage baskets. Not only are they high-percentage baskets, but it does a lot to demoralize your opponent."
 
Amin is one of just 16 players in the nation to record seven steals in a single game this season. He entered the day eighth in the nation in steals per game and is all but assured to rise in the rankings tomorrow.
 
TURNOVERS TO POINTS
 
The Islanders ended the night with 17 steals, the most since a 2008 matchup with Houston Baptist. Six different Islanders recorded a swipe, which led to 24 points on the other end.
 
"We're trying to protect our goal on the defensive side," said Wilson. "We do it in a bit of an unconventional fashion with switching, occasional traps and things like that. On the offensive end it's the flip side of the coin, we want to pressure the rim and play inside out. The stretch where we were able to pull away and stretch the lead, a lot of that had to do with defense.
 
"A lot of it also had to do with our ability to be patient in the half court," continued Wilson, "move the ball side-to-side and stretch them out. I felt like when we were able to stretch them out, we were really able to get some good looks and share the basketball."
 
• Amin's seven led the Islanders.
• Thomas finished the night with four steals.
• Cole Martinez knocked away three balls.
• Kilgore, Kareem South and Jake Kocher each added a steal.
 
BALANACED ATTACK
 
Along with the three Islanders in double-digits, a trio more scored eight-plus points on the night.
 
Kareem South continued a strong run of play with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting. South made his first start in the victory. Martinez added nine points as well while Kocher put up eight to balance out the Islanders' attack.
 
MUCH NEEDED REST
 
The Islanders will now take a few days off as the Blue and Green does not return to action until next Sunday, Dec. 18. A&M-Corpus Christi will host UTSA in a 2 p.m. tip at the American Bank Center.