Islanders Host Final Home Games of The Season

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will look to further secure their spot in the Southland Conference Championships this coming week, with an opportunity to clinch a spot in the coming postseason.

Seniors Brittany Mbamalu and Kre'Ana Henry will play in the last home games of their career this week, with a chance to clinch a postseason spot this coming senior day. With a win over Abilene Christian the Islanders will have a win-and-in scenario against Incarnate Word and secure a place in the SLC tournament for a second straight year.

PROMOTIONS>> Come out to the Dugan for this Wednesday's game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats, where the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free pink Islanders t-shirt, to commemorate our annual 'Pink Day' to raise breast cancer awareness. 

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Abilene Christian
When: Wednesday, 7 PM
Where: Dugan Wellness Center | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network, Powered by AEP Texas

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Incarnate Word
When: Saturday, 11:30 AM
Where: American Bank Center | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network, Powered by AEP Texas

SERIES HISTORY

• The Blue and Green came within a single possession of beating Abilene Christian earlier this year, falling to their hosts 61-59
• Dae Dae Evans has had the Wildcats number in her two years with the Islanders. Her 19 points against ACU earlier this season beat the previous personal best she had set against the Wildcats the year before
• Corpus Christi holds an 8-1 record all-time against Incarnate Word, after beating the Cardinals 62-58 in San Antonio earlier this month
• Dalesia Booth has played well against her hometown university, scoring a career-high of 23 against UIW last season

ISLANDER NOTES

• The Islanders took the top-two teams in the conference to the brink this past week, falling to No. Lamar and No. 2 Stephen F. Austin by a combined seven points
• Emma Young and Dalesia Booth both tallied double-doubles against top-ranked Lamar this past Saturday, with Young posting a team-high 16 points
• Young is averaging 12 points per game since returning from injury at the end of January, and has brought that average up a full two points since the start of the new year
• After dropping 23 points against SFA, Brittany Mbamalu became the fifth-highest scoring Islander in program history with her first bucket against Lamar. She currently has 1,132 career points
• The Blue and Green held two of the most potent offenses in the SLC in check this past week, holding Lamar and SFA sides averaging over 70 points per game, to just 65 and 59 respectively
• The Islanders came within a single point of beating No. 2 Stephen F. Austin, as their loss in Nacogdoches put an end to a five-game winning streak
• With an average of just 56.7 points allowed per game, Corpus Christi's defense currently ranks 31st in all of Division I women's basketball
• Mbamalu will finish her career, not only as the fifth-highest scoring Islander in history, but also as the program's all-time leader in three-pointers (270)
• Shooting a career-average of 36.6% from beyond the arc, senior Kre'Ana Henry currently sits with the fifth-highest three-point shooting percentage in school history

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• ACU'S 9.5 threes per contest is 11th-best in D-I Women's basketball, with eight players averaging over .300 from beyond the arc
• Holding a fourth-place spot in the Southland, the Wildcats have been reeling recently, going .500 in the month of February and losing five of their last eight contests
• Averaging 14.4 points and 4.5 assists per game, Breanna Wright currently ranks seventh in the SLC in scoring and fourth in helpers

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

• After starting conference-play 2-1, the Cardinals have been on an 11-game losing skid since January sixth
• UIW has two of the best shot-blockers in the conference on their roster, with Quincy Baker (1.33) and Sydnee Wynn (1.29) ranking third and fifth in rejections per contest
• Guard Imani Robinson not only leads the Cards with 12.3 points per game, but she is also averaging just under two steals a game. Robinson has scored in double digits in all but two of her last 14 appearances

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders will close out the season on the road with games at McNeese and Houston Baptist. The Blue and Green will see the Cowgirls for the first time this season, but will be looking for the series sweep against the Huskies, after beating HBU 50-49 in Sugar Land earlier this season.

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
For more information on Islanders women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersWBB), Instagram (@IslandersWBB) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Women Basketball)