Comeback Bid Falls Short At McNeese

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Led by a career night from sophomore Emma Young, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi came within two possessions of its third straight win, and clinching the No. 4 seed in the approaching Southland Conference Championship tournament. The final score would put the Islanders at a 70-64 advantage, requiring the Blue and Green to tally a win at Houston Baptist to close out the season this Saturday, in order to secure a first round bye to start the postseason. 

Opening up on a 9-3 run to start the first, the hosting Cowgirls took an early advantage on Wednesday, hitting their first three field goal attempts on the afternoon. Finishing her night with a career-high 27 points, Young started her evening scoring three the hard way, before collecting a team-high seven points in the first, and pulling her side within seven points before the break. 

Corpus Christi continued to eat away at the McNeese lead time and time again during the second quarter, consistently pulling within four points of the Cowgirls before falling back behind. Young would add another nine to her credit before halftime, while finishing the starting 20 minutes with eight rebounds under her belt, as the Islanders' hosts held on for a 35-31 lead going into the haftime break.

After shooting over 50-percent in the second quarter, the Islander offense appeared to have found their rhythm coming into the the second half, as starting guard Dae Dae Evans tallied five points and senior Brittany Mbamalu hit her first three-pointer of the night. Corpus Christi outrebounded the Cowgirls 10-7 during the third term, but eight turnovers from the Blue and Green would present the visiting side with some makeup work to do, going into the final period trailing 54-46.

Young and Mbamalu's efforts in the fourth quarter led to a competitive set of final minutes, as the two combined for 14 of the Islanders' 18 points to close out the night. Trailing by 10 with under two minutes left in the contest, Corpus Christi's press defense forced three McNeese turnovers in the waning stages while keeping the Cowgirls to just a single point. A pair of missed field goal attempts in the final 30 seconds of Wednesday's contest would secure the fait of the Blue and Green however, as the visiting team's comeback bid would just run out of time.

• In addition to her 27 points, Young also accumulated a career-high 13 boards on the night, to secure the third double-double of her career and the second of her last four appearances
• With 11 points on the night, Evans continues to be a pivotal part of the Islander offense, reaching double-digits for a second consecutive time, and the third time in her last five starts
• Junior guard LaJaneira Robinson tied a career-best with a pair of treys, her 36.4% from beyond the arc ranks third on the Blue and Green this season
• Mbamalu scored 11 of her 12 points in the second half, bringing her career point total to 1,128 and 101 away from fourth on the Islanders' all-time scoring list
• Corpus Christi's 64 points against McNeese are the most they've scored in a loss this season, they are now 13-2 when tallying 60 or more in the 2017-18 campaign

COMING UP NEXT
After their loss on Wednesday, the Islanders still have a shot at securing the fourth seed in the Southland Conference Championship Tournament with a win at Houston Baptist this coming Saturday. A victory over the Huskies would put the Blue and Green at 11-7 in conference play, while owning the tie-breaker with New Orleans for the fourth spot.

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

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