Last Second Heave Hits Iron

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Islanders were oh so close Thursday night. A half-court heave as time expired by Ehab Amin clanged off the front iron as Stephen F. Austin held off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 61-58 on Stripes Court in the American Bank Center.
 
A week after falling by 33 to the Lumberjacks (9-9, 4-2), the Islanders (9-8, 2-4) faced plenty of adversity Thursday night. Little did it show as the Blue and Green banded together, behind a career-high 18 points from redshirt freshman Kareem South, to push the four-time defending champion to the brink.
 
"It was a great college basketball game," said head coach Willis Wilson. "I liked a lot about what we did tonight. I don't believe in moral victories, but I was very proud of how our guys stepped it up tonight. When we got down 10 at the under 10, it showed a lot of resolve and teamwork how our guys battled back and fought."
 
In the end, they fell three inches short on the final heave.
 
Amin, who had the last second shot, finished with 15 points. It was the guard's 13th straight game in double figures. Joseph Kilgore added another 13 to give the Blue and Green three in double digits for the night.
 
Ivan Canete paced SFA with 15 points and came up with a crucial swipe and layup to give the 'Jacks a three-point edge with 14 seconds to play.
 
FIGHTING BACK
 
After a 9-2 run, SFA seemed poised to strike the knockout blow with 10 minutes to play. The Islanders did not go away, outscoring SFA 15-4 over the next 5:39 to take a one-point advantage.
 
South was a major part, splashing a pair of pivotal threes to send the 2,377 in attendance to a thunderous roar. The redshirt freshman scored 10 of his 18 in the final 8:30 of the game.
 
GANG REBOUNDING
 
A major difference between the two games in a eight-day span was the rebounding battle. SFA outrebounded the Islanders by 22 last week, but Thursday night, the two were even on the glass.
 
• South and Kilgore grabbed a game-high six boards each.
• Amin pulled down four caroms.
• Freshman Perry Francois finished with three rebounds.
 
FRESHMAN STEP UP
 
With the absence of Rashawn Thomas, the Islanders' freshman bigs were forced into action. They responded with perhaps their best minutes of the season.
 
Francois logged a career-high 24 minutes of action, going 2-for-2 from the floor with three boards and a block.
 
Elijah Schimdt grabbed a pair of rebounds and played stingy defense in 15 minutes of action.
 
QUICK TURN
 
The Islanders travel to Sam Houston State to face the Bearkats on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 6:15 in Huntsville.