South Drops 23 in One-Possession Loss to Lamar

BEAUMONT, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi came within three points of beating Southland Conference rival Lamar this Saturday, boosted by 23 points from starting guard Kareem South. The Cardinals took the final decision in a high-scoring 79-76 final, as both sides shot over 50% on the afternoon.

South would get going early, hitting three of his first four shots from three-point land, and missing just two of his seven shots in the first half. Fellow guard Joseph Kilgore would record five assists in the opening 20 minutes, along with six points of his own, as the Islanders' defense limited LU to just three field goals from beyond the arc. 

Outboarding their hosts 20-16 in the first half, the Islanders would take a four-point lead into the break and improve their advantage by as many as seven at the start of the second. Freshman Myles Smith would have 15 points over the final 20 minutes to finish the night with a career-high 19 points, while South would add another eight to close out his performance. 

The Blue and Green went ahead 40-33 before letting the Cards get out to a 11-3 run and retake the lead. Corpus Christi would trade shots with LU in the final 15 minutes, fighting back for a one-point lead before eventually conceding to the Cardinals. 

• Perry Francois tied a career-high with two rejections over 16 minutes of play
• Francois was one of four Islanders to record five-plus boards, led by a team-high of six for Elijah Schmidt
• Kilgore came within two assists of a double-double, finishing the night with 18 points and eight helpers. He's tallied eight assists in each of his past two performances
• South has scored 20-plus in four of his last seven performances, increasing his points per game for the season from 9.2 to 11.4 in less than a month's span

COMING UP NEXT
The Blue and Green look on to Abilene Christian next week, looking to beat the Wildcats on the road in Abilene this Wednesday. Corpus Christi beat the Wildcats 80-66 at home last month, where freshman Tre Gray scored a career-best 20 points.

Corpus Christi's matchup with ACU, along with all Islander road games, will be broadcasted via radio provided by the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.