Waging War with Wildcats

Game #20: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (10-9, 3-5) vs. Abilene Christian (8-11, 2-6)
Date: Saturday, January 28
Location: American Bank Center
TV: ESPN3/WatchESPN App

 
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Following a gritty overtime win on the road, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi looks to continue the momentum with a return home to face Abilene Christian on Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN with Lincoln Rose and Van Chancellor on the call.
 
The Islanders and Wildcats are meeting for the sixth time in program history with the Islanders holding a 5-0 edge in the series.
 
HOME SWEET HOMESTAND
>> The Islanders return to the American Bank Center to kick off a three-game homestand against Abilene Christian Saturday evening.
>> This is the first and only time the Islanders will play three consecutive games at home this season.
>> The Blue and Green is 7-1 at home this season and 27-2 over its last 29 games. The only loss this season came at the hands of SFA in a three-point nailbiter.
 
1,577
>> With his 10th point of the night at Lamar, Rashawn Thomas passed former teammate John Jordan for the top spot in Islanders' scoring history.
>> At the conclusion of the game, Thomas has 1,589 points to his credit, while Jordan's 1,576 now sit second.
>> For Thomas, it's the fifth record he's broken this season of a likely six. He is 52 rebounds away from the all-time mark in that category.
 
KOCHER COMES THROUGH
>> Senior Jake Kocher produced a career night in the win over Lamar. He hit 7-of-12 shots from the field including 5-of-7 beyond the arc.
>> He matched a career high with 19 points and added four rebounds and three steals to his stellar night.
 
SERIES WITH WILDCATS
>> The Islanders have never lost to Abilene Christian, going a perfect 5-0 against the Wildcats.
>> That's not to say there have not been close calls, each of the last two games and three of the total series have been decided by six points or less.
>> In the regular season finale a year ago, the Islanders had to rally from a 38-34 halftime deficit to knock off the Wildcats in Abilene. The Islanders trailed by 13 with 13 minutes to play.
>> A 23-6 run turned a 12-point deficit into a 5-point lead and the Islanders held off the Wildcats down the stretch.
 
WATCH THESE WILDCATS
>> Jalone Friday and Jaren Lewis lead ACU with an average of 14.5 ppg. Lewis has started all 19 for the Wildcats while Friday has done his damage off the bench 15 times.
>> Jaylen Franklin adds another 10.3 ppg. He's started all 16 games he's played.
>> As a team, the Wildcats are -5 this season on the boards.
>> Friday sits second in the conference hitting at a .455 clip beyond the arc.