Chadwick Earns Record-Setting 74th Win at UIW

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi extended its winning streak to three straight this Saturday, against Incarnate Word by a score of 62-58, notching Coach Royce Chadwick's 74th career win since taking over the Islander program six years ago. The Blue and Green's head skipper now sits as the winningest coach in the history of the Islander women's basketball program, surpassing previous record holders Jodi Kest and Robert Robinson.

Barring Saturday's closely held final decision, the Islanders appeared to be on the verge of a blowout against UIW, after earning a 17-8 advantage in the opening 10 minutes. After spotting the Cardinals a bucket, the visiting Blue and Green proceeded to go on a 15-1 run over the next six minutes, hitting five of their next eight shots from the field with a trio of three-pointers.

The Islanders were near perfect from beyond the arc in the opening quarter, with three of their four attempts from deep falling through. The UIW offense would begin to awaken in the second period however, as the hosting Cardinals outscored Corpus Christi 16-15 on 50% shooting. With their lead trimmed to eight headed into halftime, the Islanders 32-24 advantage kept Coach Chadwick's side poised for another win this week, with the side failing to lose a single game this season when leading after the second quarter.   

Getting her first start since returning from injury, Islander forward Emma Young led all scorers with a dozen points in the first 20 minutes, accompanied by four boards and a block. UIW would continue to take chunks out of the Blue and Green advantage out of the break, hitting six of 12 from the field for a second consecutive quarter. The score would twice be slimmed down to a single point during the stanza, with bench player Tiara Matthews keeping the Islander lead in tact on six points in the third quarter alone.

Up 42-41, the Islanders refused to miss in the opening minutes of the fourth, knocking down their first five shots taken and jumping out to a 12-point lead. Kre'Ana Henry's seven points in the final period would prove pivotal for the Corpus Christi squad, as the Blue and Green would close out the final 10 minutes of the afternoon game, with seven shots on nine field goal attempts. Coach Chadwick's side would be forced to the foul line 11 times in the fourth quarter, and hit five of six in the final 30 seconds to ice the game at 62-58.

• Emma Young finished her performance with 18 points and six rebounds, standing as the contest's leading scorer and coming within three points of her career-high
• Tiara Matthews tied her own career-high with 14 points overall, shooting a perfect five-for-five on the afternoon
• The Islanders were outboarded 32-28 against UIW, the third time they've won this season when losing the rebounding battle
• Kre'Ana Henry recorded 10 points on the afternoon, and has now reached double-digits in four of her last six games played
• The Corpus Christi bench outscored Incarnate Word's 28-12 and accounted for five of the Blue and Green's eight overall steals

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders host a rematch with Sam Houston State inside Dugan this coming Wednesday after dropping the Bearkats by a score of 67-57 earlier this season in Huntsville. The Blue and Green outshot SHSU 48% to 34% in that contest with Brittany Mbamalu recording a game-high 23 points. 

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.

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