Islanders Drop Dust Devils In Fourth Straight Win

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi registered its best defensive performance of the season this Tuesday in a 53-34 thrashing of visiting Texas A&M International, for the team's fourth straight win. 

Coming off their best shooting performance in nearly three years against UTRGV, the Islanders hit just eight of 28 shots in the first half of their game against TAMIU for a shooting percentage of 28.6. The Blue and Green's stout defense would keep things close however, allowing the visiting Dust Devils to accrue just 20 points in the opening 20 minutes of the two's midweek contest. 

"Our offense really never showed up tonight but we did play defense and you know, that happens," commented Head Coach Royce Chadwick in a postgame interview. "During the course of 29 games, you're going to have games where the offense just isn't clicking, and you can't make a shot, but your defense can show up every night. You have to just show intensity and enthusiasm and we did that and defended."

After allowing International to take a 6-3 lead in the opening minute, the Islanders would go on a 12-6 run to take an 18-11 lead into the first break. Program career leader Brittany Mbamalu was hot from beyond the arc in the early stages, hitting two of her four attempts from deep. Corpus Christi's aggressive play on the boards would be a common theme throughout the night, cleaning the glass by a margin of 13-4 in the first quarter and outboarding the Dust Devils 54 to 21 on the night. 

The two sides would combine for just 14 points during the second term, with Mbamalu and Uri Jolivette accounting for four of the Islanders five points in the period. Despite the home team's low point count, Dalesia Booth would have one of the best halves of her career on Tuesday, tying a career-high with nine boards in the opening 20 minutes. Booth has been a thorn in the side of opposing shooters this season, grabbing her 15th block of the year during the first half, and notching her seventh performance of the season with a rejection.

"She is very capable. I think last year she was one of the better players on the floor every night that she played as a freshman," explained Chadwick when asked about his starting sophomore. "...She's an outstanding player and she's just going to get better and better."

Booth would get the hot hand during the second half as the Islander staff would shoot 48% in the final 20 minutes. The sophomore forward scored 15 points on six shots and six made free throws, while her 10th board of the night helped record the first double-double of her career. The Corpus Christi defense was near unbeatable in the third quarter, with the Dust Devils affording just two points on 11 shots in the period as the Blue and Green would expand its lead to 16 after three quarters, and carry a 38-22 lead into the final stanza. 

Allowing 12 points in the fourth, the Islanders total of 14 points given up in the second half were just a pair of field goals above the program record low of 10 they gave up against Utah Valley State in 2005. TAMIU managed just 34 points on the evening, the lowest total Corpus Christi has allowed on the season and the least its given up since allowing 33 against Huston-Tillitson on December 30th 2014. 

With Corpus Christi outscoring the Dust Devils 26-16 in the paint, the final score would reflect the home team's prowess on the boards, and in the post, with a final count of 53-34. Tuesday's win is the fourth in a row for Chadwick's squad, as his team has beaten opponents by an average of 15.5 during the current streak. 

• Booth is the second Islander to record the first double-double of their career this year, with Emma Young accomplishing the feat against McMurry earlier this season
• Booth's 14 blocks ranked 40th in D-I women's basketball heading into Tuesday night, she now sits at a team-best 16 for the year
• Mbamalu picked up her seventh double-digit performance of the season with 13 against TAMIU. She's on a five-game streak of scoring 10-plus points
• Young and Booth each recorded 10 rebounds on the night, the first time two Islander players have reached double-digit boards in a single game this season
• Tiara Matthews' seven boards were one short of tying a career-high, as the sophomore reached her tally in just 13 minutes played
• The Islanders' victory over International gives the side four straight wins, putting them a single win away from tying their longest streak from the previous campaign

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders have an extended break before their follwing contest, next playing the Rice Owls inside of Dugan on December 18th. The Blue and Green is on a streak of seven straight wins when playing inside the DWC and are 2-4 against the Owls all-time.

STAY SOCIAL
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