Homecoming Heroics

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Trailing by one with 3:15 to play,  Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tracked down a wild, careening rebound as Ehab Amin secured the ball just inside the timeline before flipping it to Rashawn Thomas to spark a 13-5 run to end the game. The run iced the Islanders' seventh consecutive win as the Blue and Green downed Lamar 70-63 to cap Homecoming Week on the Island.
 
Thomas picked up his fourth personal foul with 10:13 on the clock and was forced to watch for the next four minutes of game time. It did little to slow the big man who poured in 14 of his game-high 29 points in the final 5:16.
 
Joseph Kilgore joined Thomas in the realm of big second halves as the junior guard scored all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes. He hit just 2-of-3 from the floor, but made eight trips to the line, knocking down seven.

"If I had to describe Lamar's effort I would say gritty, physical, and tough," said head coach Willis Wilson. "I thought we responded to it down the stretch with defense. We had a couple of possessions before we were able to get Rashawn back in the game where I felt like our defense was good, we just didn't rebound the basketball. In the last 3 minutes of the game we were able to finish out those plays and that makes all the difference in the world on the other end of the floor. I like that our guys are playing with freedom and playing assertive and aggressive."

The Islanders raced out to a 10-0 lead, igniting the homecoming crowd of 3,535 at the American Bank Center. The strong start carried right into the break as the Blue and Green held a 33-22 advantage after a half.
 
Lamar (15-12, 7-7)  rallied back quickly in the second half, cutting the deficit to six just two minutes after the break. The Islanders answered with a 6-0 run to double the lead, highlighted by Kilgore's throw down of an alley-oop from Ehab Amin.

The steal, the oop #GoDers pic.twitter.com/IvHvAd7umL

— Islanders MBB (@IslandersMBB) February 19, 2017

 
With Thomas on the bench midway through the second half, Lamar claimed its first lead of the night with 8:15 to play.
 
No team led by more than two until the Islanders 13-5 game-closing run over the final three minutes.

BROKEN GLASS

With his second rebound of the night, Thomas became the all-time leading rebounder in Islanders history. The senior passed Demond Watt for the title and now has 857 career boards.

IMPACT ISLANDERS
 
>> Jake Kocher dished out five assists to lead the Islanders on a night where the Blue and Green recorded helpers on 15-of-20 made baskets.
>> Kocher's five assists marked a career-high for the senior.
>> Kareem South dropped 10 points and added four rebounds.
>> Ehab Amin had a line-stuffing night with nine points, six boards, six swipes and four assists.
 
 
ON TO ACU
 
The Islanders will look for their eighth-straight victory on Wednesday night as the Blue and Green travel to Abilene for a rematch with the Wildcats.