CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team dropped its Saturday homecoming matchup to Lamar, 74-63.
For three quarters, the Islanders (9-16, 5-9) pieced together one of its strongest performances of the season with a 42.5-percent shooting clip and a six-point lead over the third-place team in the Southland Conference standings.
Lamar (19-6, 12-3) outscored the Blue and Green 25-8 over the final 10 minutes and shot 40.7-percent on the night to pick up the win.
"I thought for three quarters, we did the things the needed to do," head coach
Royce Chadwick said. "Everyone was out there trying to execute and do their jobs. In the fourth quarter when it became crunch time, we didn't execute as well. Lamar turned up the heat a little bit and we didn't respond. In the second half, we had way too many turnovers, couldn't get an offensive rebound, and we didn't get any assists.
In the opening 30 minutes, the Islanders assisted on 14 baskets and went 17-of-22 at the line. Seven fourth-quarter turnovers, four missed free throws and one steal by the Blue and Green allowed Lamar to overcome an 11-point deficit in the second half.
"We didn't play the way we needed to play for 40 minutes but we did a pretty good job for 30. I think those 30 minutes are the best we have played this year and I am proud of the steps we've taken. The fact that we are continuing to improve, we just have to learn how to finish games. That is back-to-back times where we have been ahead in the fourth quarter and have been unable to collect ourselves and go get the job done.
After struggling from the perimeter in the previous three outings, the Islanders found their touch.
Brittany Mbamalu knocked down a quartet of long balls to finish with a game-high 17 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Dalesia Booth continued her streak of games in double figures. The San Antonio native went for 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including seven straight to close out the third period.
After a quick start by the Blue and Green, Lamar bounced back with a 15-2 run in the first quarter. Mbamalu countered for the Islanders with a trio of 3-pointers, as the hosts took a nine-point lead into the second half.
Booth's boost gave the Islanders a 55-46 advantage with one minute to play in the third quarter, but from that point on, it was all Lamar.
The Cardinals rolled off a 27-5 run, taking the lead for good with 6:43 to play in the fourth. During the run, the Islanders committed eight turnovers and went 2-of-9 from the field.
Kiara Desamours led the way for the visitors with 14 points, while Chastadie Barrs scored 13 points, before fouling out in the fourth.
A&M-Corpus Christi gave up 15 offensive rebounds, but limited Lamar to eight second-chance points on the night. The Cardinals scored 30 points on 22 Islanders' turnovers, while the Blue and Green managed 15 points on 17 giveaways by the visitors.
OF NOTE
>> With her second block of the game,
Ashanti Plummer moved into fifth place on the all-time swats list with 85.
>>
Dalesia Booth has now scored in double figures in five of the last six games.
>>
Brittany Mbamalu is 10 3-pointers away from breaking the school record for 3-pointers.
>> The Islanders matched their season high with 16 dimes.
AWAY TO ABILENE
The Islanders made the long trip to Abilene Christian on Wednesday night for a 5:30 p.m. tip. The game will be the final road contest for the Blue and Green during the 216-17 regular season.
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- Go Islanders -
