Islanders Shut Down Roadrunners to Win UTSA Tournament Title

SAN ANTONIO – With a convincing wire-to-wire victory, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the UTSA Tournament by topping the host institution 77-58 on Sunday at the Convocation Center. The Islanders led by 11 at half and their lead never dropped into single-figures in the final 17 minutes of the game.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi (4-1) won the tournament after defeating IUPUI and Denver earlier in the week.
 
Junior Isaac Mushila turned in a huge day with 21 points and 17 rebounds – both were season-highs. He was 6-of-8 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Mushila helped the Islanders outrebound the Roadrunners (3-3) by a 52-34 margin.
 
Nearing a double-double was senior De'Lazarus Keys with nine points and 12 rebounds. Senior Myles Smith registered 11 points and five rebounds, while junior Terrion Murdix ended with eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi shot .500 from the field and limited UTSA to a .319 clip.
 
The Islanders took control early by scoring the first eight points of the game, including six from Keys. They increased it to 16-6 at the 13:02 mark after a lay-up by Murdix.
 
The Roadrunners responded with a 12-5 run to cut it to 21-18 with 10:02 left, which was the closest they game the rest of the game. A&M-Corpus Christi answered with a 9-0 spurt to quickly go back up 20-18 with 6:23 left after a bucket by junior Trevian Tennyson.
 
Leading 40-29 at the half, UTSA scored the first four points of the second, but the Islanders fired back with baskets from Smith and Mushila to lead 45-33 with 17:12 to go. Another bucket by Mushila made it a 53-38 game with 13:43 left.
 
The largest lead of the contest came in the final minute after freshman Jalen Jackson hit a free throw to go up by 21.
 
The Islanders will return home Saturday when they host St. Mary's (TX) at 2 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
NOTES
- The Islanders beat a third Division I school in non-conference play for the first time since 2016-17.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi has outscored the opposition in points in the paint and in fast break points in all five games this year. It topped the Roadrunners 50-26 in the paint and 22-17 in fast breaks. The team is also 4-0 when it outscores the opposition off the bench, where they held a 24-12 edge over UTSA.
 
- The Islanders entered the game ranked second in the conference in offensive rebounding and pulled down 16 in the game.
 
- Mushila made his first start of the season, and it was also the first time the starting lineup changed. His previous highs this year were 16 points against Denver and nine rebounds vs. IUPUI. Mushila is the first Islander with 17 rebounds in a game since Elijah Schmidt had 17 against Our Lady of the Lake on Nov. 10, 2017. He was also the first Islander with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Rashawn Thomas had 17 points and 19 rebounds against Texas State on Dec. 5, 2015.
 
- Keys' 12 rebounds matched a career-high set at HBU on March 6, 2021. It was his fourth career double-figure rebounding game.
 
- Smith notched his 50th career double-figure scoring game and third this season. He was 4-of-7 from the field and hit both of his free throw attempts.

All-Tournament Team
Isaac Mushila, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
De'Lazarus Keys, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Jordan Ivy-Curry, UTSA
B.J. Maxwell, IUPUI
KJ Hunt, Denver

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