Basketball Finishes Regular Season at HBU

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi looks to secure a fifth seed in this year's Southland Conference Championship tournament with a win at Houston Baptist this Saturday. 
 
With a victory over the Huskies, or a Nicholls loss at Southeastern Louisiana, the Islanders will clinch a fifth place finish in the SLC regular season. This year will mark the Islanders' second straight appearance in the postseason and their fourth trip to the Southland tournament in the past five seasons.

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Houston Baptist
When: Saturday, 2:00 PM
Where: Sharp Gym | Sugar Land, Texas
Listen: Islander Digital Network, Powered by AEP Texas

SERIES HISTORY

• The Islanders are 5-5 against Houston Baptist all-time after splitting their two games against the Huskies the previous season
• Dalesia Booth recorded 22 points over her two games played against HBU as a freshman, while pulling down eight boards
• The team that has won the rebounding battle in the Blue and Green's last four meetings with the Huskies has proved superior in the scoring column as well

ISLANDER NOTES

• Sophomore Emma Young set a pair of career-highs against McNeese this past Wednesday, scoring 27 points with 13 rebounds, for her third double-double of the season. With an 83.8% average from the charity stripe, Young ranks 46th in the country concerning free throw percentage
• The Islanders outboarded one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country this week, pulling down 14 offensive boards to the Cowgirls' 11
• Brittany Mbamalu scored 20-plus points for the fifth time this season against UIW last week, pouring in a team-high 25 points and earning Southland Conference Player of the Week honorable mentions
• Kre'Ana Henry scored 19 of her own against the Cardinals, as the Blue and Green seniors combined for 44 points on senior night in American Bank Center
• Corpus Christi evened their season series against Abilene Christian with a 70-51 win over the Wildcats this last week, as four players finished in double-digits
• The Islanders are 8-4 in their previous 12 Southland games, dropping their three losing decisions by only 15 points combined
• Corpus Christi's defense ranks 34th in the country this season, allowing just 57.0 points per game. They've held opponents to under 60 on 16 occasions, and under 50 points in six different contests

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

• HBU stands as one of the top rebounding teams in the country currently, with their 41.04 boards per game sitting 48th in Division I women's basketball, and their 29 defensive rebounds per contest standing 24th
• The Huskies are the top shot blocking team in the SLC with 4.5 per game, led by a conference-high 1.71 rejections from junior center Natalia Gwarda
• With 15.2 points per game, guard Amanda Johnson leads the Huskies and ranks sixth in the Southland overall. Johnson's total dips only slightly when playing SLC opponents, scoring an average of 14.5 per contest

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders prepare for postseason play, with the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament set to start next Thursday, March 8th in Katy, Texas. The Blue and Green reached as far as the semifinals in last year's tourney, and are currently in place to earn a fifth seed in this year's tournament.

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)