Islanders Home For The Holidays

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi looks to extend its winning streak this week against Houston-based programs Rice and St. Thomas. The Islanders are one game short of tying their longest win streak from last season at five, and can enter the next calendar year undefeated at home with a pair of wins against the Owls and Celts.

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Rice
When: Monday, 7 PM
Where: Dugan Wellness Center | Corpus Christi, Texas
Listen: Islanders Digital Network, Powered by AEP Texas

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: St. Thomas
When: Wednesday, 7 PM
Where: Dugan Wellness Center | Corpus Christi, Texas
Listen: Islanders Digital Network, Powered by AEP Texas

SERIES HISTORY

• The Islanders are 2-4 against Rice all-time, and are playing St. Thomas Houston for the first time in program history
• The Blue and Green is 1-1 against the Owls in their last two meetings, beating the Houston-based University in November of 2015
• Active Islanders Brittany Mbamalu and Uri Jolivette combined for 13 points in that 2015 win over the Owls, with the former hitting four of 10 from beyond the arc
• Corpus Christi has not lost to Rice at home since 2001
• The Islanders face the Celts for their first NAIA matchup of the season, the Blue and Green is 8-0 when facing schools at the NAIA level all-time
• Both schools the Islanders face this week are based in Houston. Corpus Christi is 15-19 when playing schools hailing from H-Town
• The Islanders' win over Rice in 2015, marked Head Coach Royce Chadwick's 600th win of his career

ISLANDER NOTES

• The Blue and Green has been undeniable on the boards, with their 42.67 rebounds per game ranking 59th in D-I and their 10.0 margin sitting 27th
• Brittany Mbamalu's 3.22 three-pointers per game and 29 threes total rank 28th and 37th respectively, her 239 career threes are a program record, and rank seventh among active Division I players
• With 67 wins, Head Coach Royce Chadwick and his staff are just seven victories away from becoming the winningest islanders coaching staff in program history, in just their sixth year on the Island
• The Islanders are on a four game win streak, keeping their last three opponents to a combined 130 points (43.3/game)
• Corpus Christi is hitting 44.3% on their current winning streak, after shooting 37.7% in its first five games and 40.4% on the year
• Sophomore Dalesia Booth exploded for 20 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against TAMIU last week. She and Brittany Mbamalu combined for 33 of the Islanders 53 points on the night
• Only one Dust Devil put up double-digits against the Blue and Green, as the Islanders held their opponent to a season-low 34, and set a program record with 14 points allowed in the 2nd half
• With two rejections against the Dust Devils, Booth has a team-high 16 blocks on the year, sitting first among Southland athletes 
• Tiara Matthews sits second on the Blue and Green with a field goal percentage of 51.5% and three blocks, despite logging just 13.9 minutes per contest
• Giana Wright's 4 steals off the bench leads all Islander freshman, causing an opponent turnover every 19:30 played. Only Tiara Matthews has a better average for the Blue and Green this year (12:30)

HOW THEY MATCHUP

• The Islanders have a distinct advantage in the rebound category over both Rice and St. Thomas, outboarding opponents by 10 per contest and keeping other teams to under 33 boards per game
• Corpus Christi's points per game (54.0) allowed ranks 14th in Division I women's basketball, and its field goal percentage against (35.8%) sits 46th
• The Islanders have posted two games with over 50 rebounds, a feat that St. Thomas has achieved four times in the 2017-18 campaign. The Owls high for the season sits at just 44 
• While the Islanders are on a streak of four straight wins, the Celts have lost their last four. Rice has won its last two, after falling to power-five opponents Kansas and Texas A&M by a combined 30 points
• The Islanders will look for a hot start against the Owls on Monday. The Blue and Green is 6-1 when leading after the opening 10 minutes, yet Rice has allowed an average of just 12.3 points in the opening quarter 
• Both Rice and the Islanders are averaging close to 23 buckets per game, the Owls advantage comes beyond the arc however, hitting 8.67 shots from deep this year

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders close out the New Year with their Southland opener at Central Arkansas on December 28th, followed by a matchup with Lamar on the 30th. Corpus Christi's season ended against the Sugar Bears last year during the SLC Tournament Semifinals, looking to get off to a 2-0 record in in conference play.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Islanders women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersWBB), Instagram (@IslandersWBB) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Women's Basketball).