A&M-Corpus Christi Cruises to 84-38 Victory over Concordia

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A wire-to-wire decision was never in doubt Sunday for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball program as it posted a lopsided 84-38 win over Concordia (Texas) at the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
Freshman Paige Allen turned in a career-high 21 points and also grabbed five steals. Sophomore Alecia Westbrook recorded 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.
 
Though, the day was highlighted by contributions off the bench where the Islanders (2-5) scored more than half of their points with 44. Sophomore Olivia Dowden registered 13 points and six rebounds, while junior Alexandria Pollard tallied career-highs of 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Nabaweeyah McGill neared a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Islanders played all 12 of their active student-athletes, and all seven from the bench logged at least 14 minutes; 11 of the 12 student-athletes made a field goal.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi shot .500 from the field and limited Concordia (0-1) to a .217 mark, including .077 in the first and fourth quarters, respectively. The Islanders dominated in the paint where they outscored the Tornados 46-14.
 
Concordia was led by Natalie Velardez who scored a team-high 10 points. The Tornados were held in-check offensively, especially from long-range where they were 2-for-20 (.100).
 
The Islanders were in control from the very beginning and opened the game on a 14-0 run. It started with a lay-up by Westbrook and was capped by a bucket by senior Giana Wright. A pair of free throws by Pollard made it an 18-3 game with 3:28 left, and A&M-Corpus Christi led 20-6 at the end of the first.
 
In the second, the Islanders went up by 20, 28-8, on a three by Allen with 8:20 to go. They extended it to 40-12 after a pair of free throws by Dowden at the 2:34 mark. A fast-break lay-up by Allen increased the edge to 44-14, but the Tornados scored the last basket on a three with seven seconds left to trail 44-17 at the break.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi kept its foot on the gas in the third and extended the advantage to 52-21 on a put-back by sophomore Lynn Tamis with 6:08 remaining. A lay-up by McGill changed the score to 67-31 with 1:24 left.
 
In the fourth, the Islanders went up 73-33 on a pair of free throws by Pollard at the 8:55 mark. Their largest lead 79-33 came on a lay-up in transition by Allen with 4:09 to go.
 
The Islanders will look to extend their winning-streak to three games on Wednesday when they host Texas State at 7 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
NOTES
- It was the first-ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and Concordia.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 199-140 all-time at home and 47-25 in the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
- Over the last two games, the Islanders have scored 90 points off the bench with 46 against St. Edward's and 44 today.
 
- Allen surpassed her previous career-high of 13 points against Wichita State. She's scored in double-figures for the fifth time this year. It was the second time she's had at least five steals as she poked seven ad Wichita State. Allen, who entered the game leading the Southland Conference in steals with 4.0 per game, was also 9-of-12 from the field.
 
- Westbrook has scored in double-figures in all seven games this year and 12 times in her career. She was 4-for-5 from the floor.
 
- Dowden, who was supposed to get the start but had to be taken out right before tip-off due to an equipment issue, etched her second straight 13-point scoring game. It was her third double-digit scoring performance of her career as she was one-point shy of her career-high. Dowden's six rebounds were a career-high.
 
- Pollard's 11 points broke her previous best of seven against St. Edward's. Her nine rebounds upped her previous best of five against UTRGV at home. Pollard was 9-for-10 from the free throw line, and her nine makes were the most by an Islander in a single-game this season.
 
- McGill's 10 rebounds surpassed her previous best of three against Texas A&M-International. She was two points away from her career-high of 10, set in that same game against the Dust Devils.
 
Stay Social
- Keep up with the women's basketball program via its Facebook page (Islanders Women's Basketball) and follow the program on Twitter (@Islanders_WBB) and Instagram (@IslandersWBB).


 
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