Islanders surge past New Orleans in SLC First Round, 69-47

Story Headlines
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi women's basketball program (15-15, 8-10 Southland) advanced through the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon, pushing past seventh-seeded New Orleans (12-16, 8-10 Southland) by a 69-47 mark at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
- Junior Alexes Bryant led the way for the Islanders, posting an 18-point, six-rebound performance across 21 minutes of action. Fellow juniors Dae Dae Evans and Emma Young joined Bryant in double figures, dropping 12 and 10 points, respectively, with a combined eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
- With the victory, the Islanders manage to stay alive in the 2019 SLC Tournament, advancing to a second round matchup against third-seeded Nicholls.

Key Islander Statistics
- For the game, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi closed out the competition shooting 36.8 percent (28-of-76) from the floor, 20.0 percent (2-of-10) beyond the arc and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) at the charity stripe.
- The Islanders dominated throughout the matchup across most statistical categories, including the ever-important points in the paint (36-to-18), points off turnovers (28-to-4) and second chance points (17-to-15).
- Outside of rebounds, where UNO led 55-to-41 on the game, the Blue & Green proved an irritating force on defense, forcing 20 more turnovers (25-to-5) than they surrendered and generating 12 more total steals (14-to-2). The five Islanders turnovers serves as a season-low for the team, undercutting the seven given up at Central Arkansas on Dec. 31, 2018.
- Junior Tiara Matthews nearly broke into double-digit rebound figures, pulling down a team-best nine boards on the day with eight points of her own. Meanwhile, Dalesia Booth and La'Janeira Robinson rounded out the Islanders' major contributors, adding a combined 14 points, four steals and three assists.

Up Next
- The Islanders aim to continue their Southland Conference Tournament run with a second round rematch against No. 3 Nicholls (20-10, 14-4 Southland), facing off with the Colonels at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 15 in Katy, Texas. Coincidentally, the contest will serve as a near-identical setup to the 2018 SLC Tournament second round matchup between the two programs, as then-No. 5 A&M-Corpus Christi dropped a two-point contest to fourth-seeded Nicholls, effectively ending the Islanders season.

Stay Social
- For more information on Islanders Women's Basketball, keep up with the team via their Facebook page (Islanders Women's Basketball) and follow the program on Twitter (@IslandersWBB) and Instagram (@IslandersWBB). You can watch Islander home games and listen to road broadcasts on the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.