Blue and Green Conclude SLC Run

KATY, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's run toward a Southland Conference Championship came to an end this Friday, falling to No. 4 Nicholls in a tightly held 61-59 final. 

After working to a 4-4 tie to open Friday's afternoon contest, the Islanders would proceed to go on a 10-0 run in the opening five minutes, thanks in part to a pair of threes from starters Emma Young and Brittany Mbamalu. Young drew a pair of Nicholls' charges in the opening minutes, as the Islanders' defense forced the Colonels to go one for nine in their first 10 shots on the afternoon. 

Nicholls' press kept the Islanders offense busy during the second quarter as fifth seed Corpus Christi was held to 14 points in the period. Another pair of deep three-pointers from Mbamalu would keep the Blue and Green within scoring range however, as the Colonels took a 36-32 advantage into the halftime break. With 11 points, Mbamalu led all Islander scorers after 20 minutes, while hitting three of five from deep with one assist.

Corpus Christi outrebounded the Colonels 25-16 through Friday's opening half, while finishing with a 55-38 advantage in the boards column. Kre'Ana Henry cleaned the glass a team-high six times during the first 20 minutes, ending her night with 10 and six points.

Both sides would have trouble converting at the start of the third, with the two teams combining for just nine points through the first five minutes, and Nicholls maintaining a 41-36 lead. Mbamalu added another seven points to her total in the third along with another assist, as the Islanders pulled down eight offensive boards in the third term. Second chance points would play an important role in the Blue and Green's comeback during the period, scoring four points directly off offensive boards, and another four off turnovers to even things at 46 before the start of the fourth.

Staying within four points for the entirety of the final period, the Islanders tied things with the Colonels at 52 apiece at the 3:44 mark. Young kept her side within striking distance throughout the final four minutes, scoring all nine of the Islanders' points in the waning minutes. The sophomore hit all three of her shot attempts and knocked down three of her four shots from the charity stripe to close things out.

The Blue and Green resorted to fouling in the final 30 seconds of Friday's affair, but would miss their final shot of the day, trailing by two with just over two seconds remaining. Nicholls took home the final 61-59 victory to put an end to the Islanders' SLC Championship-run, with Corpus Christi has accruing 19 victories on the season and tallying the team's most wins in a single campaign since 2009-10.

• Mbamalu finished her afternoon with a team-high 18 points, while pouring in four field goals from range
• With nine points in the fourth quarter alone, Emma Young tallied 14 on the day with eight rebounds
• The Islanders' 25 offensive boards against Nicholls are the most they've collected in a single game this year, while their 54 overall is just one short of the season-high they registered against PVAMU
• Off the bench, Tiara Matthews pulled down eight rebounds over just 11 minutes played, two short of tying her career-high
• The Blue and Green held their opponents to under 33% shooting for the ninth time this year, the first time they've done so while coming out with a loss this season

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders await their fate in this year's WBI (Women's Basketball Invitational), hoping to secure a spot in the postseason tournament starting March 14th.

The Islanders' matchup with Nicholls, along with all approaching postseason contests, can be followed live via radio feed provided by the Islanders Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

STAY SOCIAL
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