Islanders head north for ACU showdown

ABILENE, Texas. - The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi men's basketball team will head to Abilene, Texas, to take on Abilene Christian University on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. Fans can also listen to the audio broadcast live on KEYS 1440 AM or watch the webstream on ESPN3.

Islanders at Abilene Christian (17-4, 6-2)
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019  -  7 p.m.
Moody Coliseum - Abilene, Texas
10th Meeting (Islanders lead 9-0)  |  Game Notes
Radio: KEYS 1440 AM
Webstream: ESPN3
Live Stats: HERE

HISTORY WITH ACU (ISLANDERS LEAD 9-0)
- This will be the 10th meeting between the two schools.
- All time, the Islanders are 4-0 in Corpus Christi and 5-0 in Abilene, Texas.
- The series started back in 2014 after ACU transitioned from Division II to Division I.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is averaging 68.8 points per game in the series while holding ACU to just 56.1.
- Five wins have been by double-digits, two have been more than 20 and the March 7, 2015, meeting was a 31 point Islander victory.

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
- In the first meeting, four Islanders scored in double figures led by Tre Gray's 20 points as he made 5-of-9 three point attempts.
- Myles Smith added 15 in the game and Joseph Kilgore had a 14 rebound-13 point double-double.
- The second meeting proved closer as the Islanders won by nine (76-67) at ACU's Moody Coliseum.
- Kilgore scored 24 points, Smith had 13, South added 12 and Schmidt scored 11 points with nine rebounds.
- The Islanders turned the ball over just 13 times and hit 18-of-22 (.818) free throw attempts.

WILDCAT (17-4, 6-2) NOTABLES
- Abilene Christian is a perfect 10-0 this season at home in Moody Coliseum. The Wildcats are 2-0 on neutral floors with victories over Elon and UC Riverside.
- ACU is 6-2 in Southland play with the only two setbacks coming on the road at Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.
- Jalone Friday leads three Wildcats who average in double-figure scoring at 13.3 points per game.
- Jaren Lewis is one of three players to start all 21 games for ACU this year. He averages 13.0 points and leads the team at 5.8 rebounds per game.
- Payten Ricks averages 12.1 points per game, has a team high 42 steals and has knocked down a team-best 50 three pointers this year, connecting on 45.5 percent of his attempts. Rickhs has hit a three pointer in 19 games this year and has multiple threes in 14 contests.
- B.J. Maxwell has also emerged as a scoring threat, averaging 11.9 points per game during Southland play. He has started the past six games and has scored in double-figures in seven of his last eight games.
- ACU holds a 2.5 rebound margin over opponents this season and have a +4.4 turnover margin, forcing 17.1 opponent miscues per contest.

ISLANDERS LAST TIME OUT
- Jashawn Talton recorded his first double-double as an Islander, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds as the Islanders defeated Nicholls, 75-73, on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Three of his boards came on the offensive end while playing a  season-high 35 minutes of action.
- Jake Babic knocked down four three-pointers and tied Talton for the game-high with a career-high 18 points. He had an assist, a blocked shot and hit both free throw attempts in 28 minutes.
- Kareem South finished in double-figures for the 12th time this year, scoring 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He hit three three-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds, had a team-high six assists and recorded two steals in 38 minutes. The six assists tied his career high, matching his performance against Southeastern La., on Feb. 8, 2017.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 41 percent (25-of-61) for the game and hit 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
- The Islanders were 16-of-19 (84.2 percent) from the charity stripe, hitting 80 percent (12-for-15) in the second half.
- A&M-Corpus Christi outrebounded the Colonels, 40-30, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive end.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi committed just 10 turnovers on the evening.

UP NEXT
- A&M-Corpus Christi will head to Houston Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. Fans can listen to the game live on KEYS 1440 AM

For all the latest on Islanders Men's Basketball, be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersMBB), Instagram (@IslandersMBB) and like the team's official Facebook page (IslandersMBB).