Box Score HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team suffered a setback in its bid for a Southland Conference Tournament spot on Saturday in Huntsville. Despite a team-high 15 points from Shay Weaver, the Islanders could not overcome 26-percent shooting in the first half in a 75-57 loss to Sam Houston State.
"I thought we were extremely cold from the floor, and we couldn't make a free throw," head coach Royce Chadwick said after the game. "I told them to keep fighting. We needed to continue being aggressive until our shot came to us. We didn't find our touch until later in the game and all that pressure wore us down defensively."
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While the offense struggled, the defense kept the Islanders (9-18, 6-10) within striking distance for much of the game. Holding a 15-6 advantage in turnovers at the half, the Islanders held the Bearkats (10-16, 6-10) from extending the lead to more than seven points at the break.
"We did a fantastic job of trapping the basketball," added Chadwick. "We made them commit turnovers. In the second half, they broke our trap and scored. After that, we didn't keep our defensive intensity up, but the big issue came when we didn't score fast break points on the turnovers we created."
A Weaver 3-pointer with 5:22 to play in the third quarter cut the lead to four, but that would be the closest the Islanders would be to the lead for the rest of the game. Sam Houston State started a 28-12 run to grow its lead to 20 midway through the fourth quarter, en route to the victory.
Finishing the game shooting 30.2-percent, A&M-Corpus Christi was also plagued by poor free-throw shooting in the loss. The Islanders left 13 points at the charity stripe with a 48-percent clip, while the Bearkats outrebounded the Blue and Green by 19 in the process of setting a new season high for an opponent this season with 53.
Weaver provided an inspired performance for the Islanders with 15 points from 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc and a team-high seven rebounds. Kassie Jones and Uri Jolivette chipped in with eight points apiece. The Islanders
For Sam Houston State, Shernise led the Bearkats with a game-high 22, followed by Kamry Orr with 16 points. Angela Beadle snagged a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Islanders hit the road for a pair of crucial road games to close out the season. On Thursday, the Blue and Green face Houston Baptist, before capping the regular season against Abilene Christian on Saturday. A&M-Corpus Christi still controls its destiny, as Sam Houston State faces Lamar and Stephen F. Austin in its final two games.
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