Box Score ABILENE, Texas – In his final regular season game ever, fifth year senior Hameed Ali scored a career high 29 points to lift the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team to a 74-69 come-from-behind victory at Abilene Christian Saturday afternoon.
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"Gutty," Head Coach Willis Wilson said after the game. "I'm a little bit at a loss. We had our backs against the wall. In that second half, and especially that second 10 minutes, we found the resolve. This is a team that when they play in the moment, they're awfully, awfully good."
With his team trailing by 13 points midway through the second half, Ali put the Islanders on his back and led them to their largest comeback of the season. He scored 22 of his 29 points during the final 13 minutes to turn a 50-37 deficit into a 74-69 win at Moody Coliseum.
Abilene Christian (13-18, 8-10) led nearly the entire game, falling behind for the first time when Bryce Douvier connected on back-to-back buckets in the paint to put the Islanders on top 60-59 with 4:36 left to play. A&M-Corpus Christi did not relinquish that lead.A subsequent three-pointer from Ali capped a 21-5 run for the Islanders that put the Blue and Green on top 63-59. Ali made a living at the line, going 16-of-17 from the charity stripe, and added six rebounds.
"It was a great way for him to end the regular season," Wilson said of Ali. "He just played with so much poise and confidence. Sometimes you can let these things get away, but Hameed just did a great job keeping everybody engaged."
Douvier was integral again for the Islanders (24-6, 15-3), recording his third double-double of the season. He scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory.
Similar to Thursday's win at Houston Baptist, the Islander defense clamped down again in the second half. After shooting 57.7 percent in the first half, the Wildcats only shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.
"We talked about staying the course," Wilson said of the second half huddles. "We just wanted to improve slightly, just make some shifts on little things."
The win on Saturday gave the Islanders 15 conference victories on the season, marking a program high for A&M-Corpus Christi. The Blue and Green, the second seed in next week's Southland Conference Tournament, will play in the semifinals Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Katy, Texas.
COUNTDOWN TO KATY
The Islanders are heading back to Katy for the Southland Conference Tournament. A&M-Corpus Christi has clinched the second seed and will play in the semifinals on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now by calling (361) 825-BALL or CLICKING HERE.
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