Story Headlines
- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi women's basketball team won its fifth consecutive ballgame on Wednesday night, defeating first place Sam Houston State, 57-54 in front of a packed crowd inside the Dugan Wellness Center.
- With the win the Islanders improve to 14-6 and 8-2 in the Southland Conference. Sam Houston State falls to 13-6 and 8-2 in conference action.
- The Islanders now lead the all-time series over the Bearkats, 20-10 including a 12-3 record on their home floor.
- The trio of
Emma Young (Coleman-O'Bryan),
Alexes Bryant and
Dalesia Booth all reached double figures, as Coleman-O'Bryan led the way with 17, while Bryant added 13 and Booth scored 10.
- The blue and green now sit in second place in the conference standings with an 8-2 record in Southland action, just one game behind first place Stephen F. Austin.
- The starting five for A&M-Corpus Christi included;
Dae Dae Evans, Booth, Coleman-O'Bryan, Bryant and
Alecia Westbrook who made her second consecutive start.
- Tonight's game featured nine ties and two lead changes.
- The defense has now held its opponents to under 60 points scoring in five straight games.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is off to its best start through 10 games in Southland action since the 2009-10 season, when they also opened conference play with an 8-2 record.
Key Islander Statistics and Sequences
- The Islanders jumped out to a quick 11-1 lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter, before the Bearkats responded with eight straight points to cut the lead to 11-9. Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi held a narrow 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter before entering halftime tied at 28-28.
- After a scoreless 2:21 of the third quarter, the Islanders went on a 17-6 scoring run to extend their lead to double digits.
- Entering the fourth quarter with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leading by just six, the final 10 minutes proved to be a defensive battle. Despite SHSU outscoring the Islanders 15-12 in the final frame, the Islanders used timely defensive stops and key free throws in the final minutes to edge Sam Houston 57-54.
- Coleman-O'Bryan collected her third straight double digit performance, leading all scorers with 17 points while shooting six-of-eight from the field and a perfect five-of-five from the charity stripe.
- Bryant added 13 points to go along with seven rebounds and one block. She also nailed two free throws in the closing moments of the game to extend the blue and green's lead to 57-54 with 3.1 seconds remaining.
- Booth was the final player to reach double figures, as the senior collected 10 points with five rebounds and three steals. She also added four blocks, setting a new season high.
-
Tiara Matthews added six points and three rebounds while
Makinna Serrata and Evans each scored four. Evans also collected two steals.
- Westbrook matched Booth with three steals and added two blocked shots.
- The blue and green edged Sam Houston State in the battle of the boards, 40-37, and scored 32 points inside the paint compared to the Bearkats' 24.
- The defense for A&M-Corpus Christi held Sam Houston to 31-percent shooting from the field and forced 25 turnovers on 11 steals.
Islander Notables
- Booth's four blocks tonight move her into No. 2 all-time with 121 for her career. She is now just three away from tying the program record of 124 set back by Roberta Plaza from 2000-04.
- Coleman-O'Bryan now moves into the top-10 for career field goals made with 344. Evans inches closer to moving into the No. 3 spot for career steals (145), adding two tonight to put her career total at 141.
- Bryant has reached double figures in three straight games including four of the last five.
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 (
@Islanders_WBB) and Instagram (
@IslandersWBB).
Up Next
- The Islanders head back out on the road where they will face Houston Baptist University Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2:00 p.m. in Houston, Texas. Fans can listen to the game live on
1440 KEYS.
*Emma Young's name was officially changed to Emma Coleman-O'Bryan after the completion of an adoption process.
