Islanders Set to Battle Texas State Saturday at American Bank Center

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Coming off a season opening win, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program will remain at home when it hosts Texas State at 2 p.m. Saturday at the American Bank Center.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi (1-0) is going for win No. 200 at home Saturday. The program carries a 199-93 all-time record at home and 133-66 in the American Bank Center.
 
Junior Rasheed Browne made a triumphant debut for the Islanders as he paced the squad with a game-high 20 points in the 64-53 win over Texas A&M-International on Wednesday.
 
Sophomore Jalen White submitted a double-double with career-highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Perry Francois also stood out against the Dustdevils as he aided the attack with 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Islanders will be going up against a Texas State (1-0) squad that cruised to a lopsided 98-59 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor in its season opener. The Bobcats dominated in the paint where they held a 58-24 scoring edge.
 
Texas State is coming off its second consecutive 20-plus win season after concluding last year with a 21-11 mark and 13-7 conference record. The Bobcats are led by interim head coach Terrence "TJ" Johnson who has been with the team for a total of six seasons.
 
The Islanders are 10-8 all-time against Texas State, including a 5-4 mark at home. The two teams used to compete against each other in the Southland Conference before the Bobcats left for the WAC for one season, and then joined the Sun Belt in 2013-14.
 
The game can be watched for free on the Islanders Digital Network with Steven King on the call.
 
NOTES
- With the win over TAMIU, the Islanders improved to 6-0 all-time in the series. They are now 19-3 all-time in season openers and also 19-3 in home openers.
 
- The Islanders returned their two leading scorers from last year in senior Myles Smith and sophomore Jordan Hairston. Smith averaged 13.2 points per game and Hairston 12.9. They are two of seven Islanders returning who saw action last season.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi added nine newcomers to the roster, including six transfers and three freshmen.
 
- Over the summer, senior Nolan Bertain was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court. He completed the 2019-20 academic year with a 3.86 GPA as a communications major.
 
- Head coach Willis Wilson is in his 10th season at the helm and returned his entire coaching staff. He carries a 90-70 record against Southland Conference opponents.
 
- Wilson has won 139 games overall since arriving on The Island and is the program's career leader in coaching victories. He surpassed Ronnie Arrow for the most victories at A&M-Corpus Christi who had 134 from 1999-07.
 
Safety Protocols
- Security screening lines will be adjusted to allow for social distancing as possible.
 
- All Guest Services & Security staff will be required to wear facemasks and gloves at all times.
 
- Social Distancing Markers will be added for line queues.
 
- Hand sanitizing stations will be added throughout entry points and the concourse.
 
- Arena seats and high touch points areas will be fully sanitized after every event with hospital grade disinfectant.
 
- Additional housekeeping staff will be on-site to continuously clean restrooms throughout the event.
 
- Sneeze guards will be added at concession points of sale.
 
- No cash transactions at concessions.
 
- All shared condiment & utensil stations will be replaced with single use condiment packets and pre-packaged utensils kept behind the concession stand counters.
 
- All staff will complete COVID-19 screening upon entering the facility.

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