Career Performances Spark An Islanders Blowout

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A return home to Dugan Wellness Center did wonders for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this Wednesday, as the Blue and Green rolled over Nicholls in a 76-55 final on the Island. Starters Brittany Mbamalu, Dae Dae Evans and Dalesia Booth all put up career numbers on the afternoon, to hand the Colonels their second straight loss in conference play.

"I thought our point guards did a really good job on the assists." contended Head Coach Royce Chadwick at the end of the night's contest. "Lala [Robinson] and Dae Dae [Evans] had six and eight with twenty-three assists as a team on twenty-eight field goals, so we did a really good job of spreading the wealth. I thought Brittany [Mbamalu] had a really good game offensively and Dalesia [Booth] had a double-double with thirteen rebounds and ten points. We got contributions from an awful lot of folks today."

The Islanders took it to the visiting Colonels early in this one, responding to Nicholls' opening three-pointer with a run of 14 straight points to start the game. Corpus Christi hit five of their first 11 shots in the first quarter, but more importantly, dominated the rebounding battle with three offensive boards and a 14-4 rebound margin in the first 10 minutes. 

After becoming the eighth player in Islander history to hit 1,000 points last week at Sam Houston State, Mbamalu received a standing ovation to start off Wednesday's contest, and would go on to show just how prolific of a scorer she's become in her years on the Island. The senior shooting guard drained a pair three-pointers in the first half to reach 10 points, before going off for 19 in the second half, missing just six of the 16 shots she took on the afternoon. Mbamalu would ultimately finish the night with a career-high of 29 points, moving her within 37 of the seventh slot on Corpus Christi's all-time scoring list with 1,051 overall.

Riding Mbamalu's hot shooting and seven boards from Booth, the high-flying Islanders took a 30-20 lead into a second half that would provide the home team with one of their most prolific two quarters of play this season. The Blue and Green would hit 17 of 29 (58.6%) in the latter 20 minutes for 46 points, the most they've had in a single half for the 2017-18 season. 

After tallying five assists in the first two quarters of play, Evans would add another three in the second half for a career-high of eight overall, while backup point guard LaJaneira Robinson broke her own personal best with six on the afternoon.

"What worked for me the best was keeping my head up, my teammates calling for the ball whenever they were open, and making extra passes." explained Evans in her postgame interview. "That's what helped me out the most."

The Islanders as a whole would finish the night with a season-high 23 helpers, seven off the program record they set against Schreiner in 2001, and the most the team has recorded in a single contest since December of 2014. 

In addition to their superior ball movement, the Islanders work on the glass continued to payoff through the second half, with Booth's seven giving the sophomore a new career-high of 13 on the day. The San Antonio-native would pour in 10 points on the afternoon for her first double-double since arriving at Corpus Christi last season, as the Islanders 43-27 preeminance on the boards would lead to a final count of 76-55.

• Dae Dae Evans (8) and Lala Robinson (6) would each set career-bests in assists, while the former posted an additional 10 points and five rebounds
• With a number of Islanders sitting out with injuries, four players would record 30-plus minutes on the night, with Booth logging a career-high of 39
• With eight points and 10 boards, starting center Uri Jolivette came within a bucket of her first double-double, setting a career-high in rebounds on the night
• Four players reached double-digit points against Nicholls; Mbamalu (29), Kre'Ana Henry (11), Evans (10) & Booth (10), the first time four Islanders have scored 10-plus this season since their opener against Texas Lutheran

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders head to Abilene to faceoff with ACU on Wednesday. The Islanders' coming matchups, along with all road contests, can be listened to live via the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

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