Islanders Complete Perfect Weekend In Edinburg

EDINBURG, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi capped off a perfect weekend at the Feast of Giving Tournament this Sunday, dropping the Florida A&M Rattlers by a score of 58-55 in Edinburg. The Islanders outshot FAMU 39.6% to 29.6% on the afternoon while hitting seven of 16 from behind the arc for their second straight win and to move to 4-3 overall.
 
The Rattlers were the ones to start early in the Islanders second game of the tournament, jumping on Corpus Christi with a 5-1 lead. The Blue and Green wouldn't stay down for long however, hitting on three of their next four possessions and getting out to an 18-4 run. The Blue and Green hit over 50% in the opening quarter to take a 21-11 lead into the break, as senior Kre'Ana Henry scored six points with a rebound off the bench.
 
The Corpus Christi shooters would begin to cool off in the second quarter, scoring just five points on a pair of field goals during the period. The Islanders would be up to task on the defensive side of the court however, forcing five turnovers and registering three blocks to keep the Rattlers to just 10 points in the frame.
 
Emma Young would pull down two offensive boards in the second on the way to her first bucket of the contest as the Islanders held onto a 26-21 lead at halftime. The sophomore out of Nicholasville, Kentucky would have a big second half for a second consecutive day, scoring five of her seven points in the third and fourth quarters, while registering a trio of helpers.
 
After dropping seven in the first half alone, Henry would go four of seven from the field in the latter 20 minutes to come up with a career-high of 18 on the afternoon. Less than 24 hours removed from coming within a rebound of her first ever double-double, the senior post player finished six for 10 overall with seven boards. Fellow senior Brittany Mbamalu would have her biggest performance during the third quarter as well, putting up eight of her 14 points and four of her eight rebounds over that period.

After asking how his team had grown over the Islanders' long road trip, Head Coach Chadwick had his seniors to commend. "I thought Brittany [Mbamalu] and Kre'[Ana Henry] did a very good job of accepting the role of being the mothers on a team that is loaded with sophomores." commenting in a postgame interview. "And, I thought they did a really good job of leading by example."
 
After limiting FAMU to 11 or less in each of the previous frames, the Rattlers shooters would come alive during the fourth, knocking down eight of 17 shots overall. Trailing by 13 with under four minutes remaining the Rattlers would make a nine-point run to get within two field goals of the leading Islanders, but a pair of free throws from Dalesia Booth would ice the game for the Blue and Green as the team escaped by a final score of 58-55.

• Although the Islanders were outmatched against FAMU in offensive boards, second-chance points continue to be a catalyst for the Blue and Green, outscoring the Rattlers 11-5
• With her career-high on Sunday Kre'Ana Henry averaged 15 points and eight boards per game this weekend to earn Feast of Giving All-Tournament honors
• Setting a personal season-high with eight rebounds against FAMU, Brittany Mbamalu averaged 16.5 points per contest in Edinburg to earn Feat of Giving All-Tournament honors
• Dae Dae Evans would finish the afternoon with five assists overall to give the sophomore a new career-high
• Lajaneira Robinson went two for two from behind the arc on Sunday, while Mbamalu hit a team-high three from deep
• The Islanders' game against FAMU marks the first time an opponent has hung with the Blue and Green in the block department. Both sides recorded five rejections on the day, as Corpus Christi holds 29 stuffs on the year and sophomore Dalesia Booth has recorded blocks in each of her last six appearances. 

COMING UP NEXT
After five straight contests on the road, the Islanders won't have to leave Corpus Christi until after New Year's, playing their next six matchups on the home front. The coming home stand starts off with a rematch against UTRGV in the final leg of this year's South Texas Showdown presented by AEP Texas. The Blue and Green will be seeking revenge against the Vaqueros after losing to the side 56-53 this year, playing inside of Dugan Wellness Center this coming Wednesday.

Coach Chadwick on the upcoming contest against UTRGV and being back home:
"They know us, we know them. We know what we have to stop and we just have to go do it, but I think our fans will be a difference-maker for us. We're excited to shoot at our rim, sleep in our bed and have our fans in the stands."

STAY SOCIAL
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