Islanders Take Upper Hand With Full Team Effort

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continues to epitomize their reputation as one of the deepest team's in the conference, with both the Islanders' bench players and starters accounting for 28 points apiece in a 56-52 win over visiting Southeastern Louisiana. Facing a Lions' offense averaging over 60 points per contest heading into Wednesday night's game, the Blue and Green defense held SELU to one of its lowest point totals on the season for its second straight win in SLC-play.

"You know, we expect a lot from everybody when we play..." said Head Coach Royce Chadwick in a post game interview. "We got a lot of team effort on the defensive end and got a lot of good offensive contribution from the bench so I'm very happy with our total effort from top to bottom."

Despite their low point total, the Lions would be the hot shooters in the beginning stages, opening up a 12-3 lead on the hosting Islanders. The home team would go on to hit four of their next six shots from the floor however, riding an eight-point first quarter from forward Kre'Ana Henry to limit SELU's lead to just three points after 10 minutes.

The Islanders would begin to find their stroke from three-point range during the second, with Henry, LaJaneira Robinson and Emma Young each knocking down a trey to secure a 31-30 lead before the end of the first half. Returning from injury after a four-game hiatus, Young appeared to be making up for lost time in the first half, as the sophomore poured in seven points with a trio of steals and a pair of assists. Head Coach Royce Chadwick's side would have seven different players score in the opening 20 minutes of play, on the way to accruing 13 points off of 10 forced turnovers.

In a game that would see neither side take a double-digit lead, the Islanders experienced their largest advantage of the night during the third, after a jumper from starting center Uri Jolivette put Corpus Christi up by seven in the first five minutes of the second half. Coming off her first career double-double against Houston Baptist this past Saturday, Jolivette would put up six points on three shots while tying a game-high with eight boards.

"When you go recruiting, what you look for is character, toughness, talented players and they are exactly that." said Coach Chadwick when asked about his team's grit. "I told them in the locker room, Uri [Jolivette] is the toughest kid I think I've ever coached, and that's just absolutely unbelievable, and Emma [Young] might be second right there with her." 

The Blue and Green would hit seven of their 11 field goal attempts in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final stanza, boosted by a pair of field goals and an assist from starting forward Giana Wright. In just her second start since coming to the Island, the freshman tallied a career-high nine points overall in just 18 minutes played, seven of which would come in the second half alone. 

With the Lions knocking on the door in the final 2:33 remaining, the Islanders' defense wold force the visitors to miss their last four field goal attempts of the night, as SELU shot just one-for-five from the charity stripe in the waning minutes. The Blue and Green's ability to close out games would again come into play down the stretch, with Henry hitting a pair of free throws to close out a game-high 14-point night and secure the 56-52 victory over their out-of-state rivals.

• With tonight's win, Head Coach Royce Chadwick earned his 73rd win at the helm of the Islanders' organization, tying the program record for most wins by head coach in history
• The second-most productive scorer in the SLC, SELU's Taylin Underwood was held to just a single point on the night after averaging just under 20 in the Lions' first 20 games on the season
• Coming in as a sub, Kre'Ana Henry would account for half of the Islanders' bench points on Wednesday, scoring a game-high 14
• Getting buckets from seven different players on the evening, Wednesday's contest is the third straight where one or less participating Corpus Christi players were held off of the scoresheet
• No opponent has scored 40% or better against the Islanders' defense over the previous six games

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders prepare to face Incarnate Word on the road this approaching Saturday, splitting their season series with the Cards the previous year.

The Islanders annual Homecoming game is scheduled for the following Saturday, February 10th, where there will be plenty of festivities for family, alumni, and students to enjoy. The women's game vs. New Orleans is at 2 PM in the American Bank Center followed by a block party and tailgate to be held outside the facility. The tailgate will feature food trucks, music, inflatables, and games, leading up to the men's game vs. New Orleans at 7 PM. A few lucky students will have the opportunity to putt a golf ball across the court in the second game of our doubleheader, for a chance to win $10,000 courtesy of Same's Ford of Corpus Christi! Make sure to take part in all of the Homecoming festivities!

Both of the Islanders' approaching contests, along with all Corpus Christi games, can be followed live via the Islanders Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

STAY SOCIAL
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