Hot Huskies Handle Islanders

HOUSTON – One streak had to come to an end and that run belonged to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the red-hot Huskies of Houston Baptist handed the Islanders a 94-80 loss Wednesday night in Sharp Gym.
 
For the Islanders, it marks their first defeat since January 21 and ends the second-longest winning streak in program history. The loss brings the Huskies into a tie for third in the Southland Conference standings alongside the Islanders.
 
Rashawn Thomas scored 24 for the Islanders and Ehab Amin added 21, but it was not enough as HBU got 20 or more points from three different players to outrun the Islanders.
 
Colter Lasher dropped in 28 points to lead all scorers while Atif Russell threw in another 24 off the bench. Reveal Chukwujekwu went off for 23 points and 12 rebounds to complete the trifecta powering the Huskies' eighth straight win.
 
"We were a step slow on some things from the onset," said head coach Willis Wilson. "Some things we thought we had addressed in practice situations just weren't quite there. You have to give them credit, they were very aggressive and usually the more aggressive team is the beneficiary of a lot of situations and that was the case tonight."
 
The Islanders (18-10, 11-6) scored the game's first points on a lay-in from Jake Kocher, but would never lead again.
 
Houston Baptist (16-12, 11-6) capitalized on a mass of trips to the free throw line, attempting 21 more shots from the stripe than the Islanders. The result was a 16-point advantage at the line, two more than the difference in the game.
 
Trailing by nine at the break, the Blue and Green trimmed the deficit to one just three and a half minutes into the second half. Just two minutes later, Thomas picked up his fourth foul and was forced to the bench. What ensued was a 12-2 run for the Huskies, extending the lead to 10.
 
The Islanders never closed within five again as HBU pulled away for the 14-point victory.
 
SENIOR DAY SATURDAY
 
The Islanders return home Saturday for the final game of the regular season. Tickets are just $10 to see the Blue and Green take on UIW in a 1:30 p.m. tip at the American Bank Center.