CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Behind stifling defense and streaky shooting from behind the arc, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team picked up its first win on the road this season in dominant fashion. The Islanders (7-11, 3-4) controlled play on both ends of the court in a 63-37 win over Sam Houston State.
The 26-point win was the largest margin of victory in Southland Conference play for the Blue and Green since Jan. 25, 2014 at New Orleans, a 56-point win. Sam Houston State (0-17, 0-7) managed just 37 points, the fewest ever given up by an Islanders team in a Southland Conference game in program history.
Matching its defensive intensity on the offensive end, A&M-Corpus Christi unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers, draining a season-high nine. The Islanders shot 39.3-percent from the field and dished out 16 assists, the latter was the most this year.
"I thought our defense was very good, especially in the first half," head coach
Royce Chadwick said. "We held them to 13 points going into the break. Offensively, we did a good job of passing the basketball and getting the shot that we wanted. We were patient and executed the way we wanted to perform."
Brittany Mbamalu extended her streak of games in double figures to five with a game-high 18 points.
Emma Young chipped in 10 points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Camesha Davis posted her second consecutive game with four steals, as the Islanders outscored the Bearkats 13-3 off turnovers.
Rachel Harrell helped the Bearkats claw into the Islanders' deficit in the fourth quarter. She finished with a team-high 10 points.
SMOTHERING DEFENSE
>> Against the Islanders' defense, Sam Houston State connected on just 23.2-percent of its shots, after going 18.5-percent from the floor in the first half.
>> The Bearkats climbed over 20-percent shooting for the game in the fourth quarter. Prior to the final stanza, the hosts were 16-percent from the floor.
>> In addition to forcing 13 turnovers, the Blue and Green outrebounded Sam Houston State 48-34 on the night.
MBAMALU FINDS HER RANGE
>> Mbamalu tallied all of her 18 points from behind the arc, going 6-of-10 from deep.
>> The Houston native finished one 3-pointer shy of her career high.
>> She now has 54 career games with multiple makes from downtown. Mbamalu needs 21 more 3-pointers to break the all-time program record.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
>> The Islanders committed just 12 fouls on the night, sending Sam Houston State to the line just 13 times.
>> Prior to the fourth quarter, A&M-Corpus Christi recorded six fouls.
>> In a similar manner, the Blue and Green had just seven turnovers before the final frame, finishing the game with 13 giveaways.
EVERYONE GETS A PIECE OF THE ACTION
>> A&M-Corpus Christi played its entire healthy roster for the fifth time this season.
>> Five players picked up five or more points, while 11 players earned a spot in the scoring column.
Ashanti Plummer recorded eight points in her 11 minutes of action.
>> More impressive was the effort on the glass, as 11 players notched rebounds, including a career-high eight from
Tiara Matthews.
HEADING TO LAMAR FOR A MILESTONE
A&M-Corpus Christi returns to the hardwood on Wednesday to face Lamar at 5:15 p.m. The game will mark
Royce Chadwick's 1000th of his career.
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- Go Islanders -
