CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Efficient offense and stingy defense powered the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team to 68-51 win over Houston Baptist on Wednesday night in the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (11-17, 7-10) tied for the fifth fewest turnovers in a game in program history with nine on the night. 10 players for the Blue and Green found the scoring column, while
Kassie Jones posted her second straight 20-point outing to lead the way.
On the defensive end, the Islanders harassed the Huskies (6-21, 4-13) into 36-percent shooting and 19 giveaways. Corpus Christi also tallied six blocks.
"I thought our defense was spectacular," head coach
Royce Chadwick said. "The fact that we only had 9 turnovers all night long was huge. Early in the game, I thought we were getting a lot of good shots, and we were unable to make any of them, but we were able to get a couple of offensive put backs.
"In the first half, we made a couple of defensive changes and our players really bought in. The half-court trap was big for us in the first half. In the second half, we did some different things, and I thought it made a difference in the tempo of the game. We are happy to get a March win because they count double, so we are excited to be able to put ourselves in position to be in the tournament in Katy."
With the victory the Islanders secured a bid to the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy for the first time since 2014-15.
Corpus Christi took the lead 58 seconds into the game and never looked back. Houston Baptist cut the lead to six late in the second quarter, but that was the closest the Islanders would let it slip to. The Blue and Green shot 40-percent over the final 20 minutes and went 10-of-11 at the charity stripe.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
>> The Islanders' nine turnovers were the fewest since Dec. 29, 2010, against Utah Valley with eight.
>> The previous low in the
Royce Chadwick era was 10 against Central Arkansas on Jan. 2, 2014.
>> The 11 steals on the night tied for third most in program history when keeping the giveaways under 10.
SULTANAS OF SWAT
>> With Jones' block with four seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Islanders set the single-season record for rejections in a season with 114, surpassing the mark set by the 2002-03 and 2003-04 teams.
>> Corpus Christi finished with six blocks on the night, the third highest total this season.
>>
Ashanti Plummer and
Camesha Davis have combined for 63 rejections this year, three tonight. Davis ranks third all time, while Plummer follows in fourth with 106 and 88, respectively
COACH TIES THE RECORD
>> Head coach
Royce Chadwick joined Robert Robinson at the top of the Southland Conference victories list on the Island with 39.
>> Chadwick ranks second in all-time league history with 161 career wins against conference teams.
POSTGAME NOTES
>> Corpus Christi connected on 81-percent of its free throws, marking the fifth game with a free throw percentage over 80 in 2016-17.
>> The Islanders dished out 14 assists on 24 made baskets (58.3-percent), as Jones and
Camesha Davis tied for the team lead with four.
>> The coast-to-coast victory was the fourth this season.
>> The Blue and Green outscored the Huskies 23-9 off turnovers and 13-4 in second-chance points.
SENIOR SATURDAY
The Islanders cap the regular season on Saturday with another early start at the American Bank Center. Corpus Christi will honor seniors
Ashanti Plummer,
Kassie Jones and
Camesha Davis in a pregame ceremony before the 11:30 a.m. tip.
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- Go Islanders -
