Women's Basketball Dominates the Glass to Defeat UIW in Conference Opener

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – With a 45-28 rebounding advantage, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball program shook off UIW in the fourth quarter en route to a 61-54 win in the Southland Conference opener on Saturday at the American Bank Center.

A&M-Corpus Christi's (9-6, 1-0 SLC) +17 rebounding margin led to a 16-2 edge in second chance points. Junior Alecia Westbrook, the reigning SLC Player of the Week winner, played a big role in it with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
The Islanders are 8-0 when they outrebound the opposition.
 
The turning point in the game came early in the fourth quarter. With the score tied 44-44, the Islanders went on a decisive 9-0 run to take control and go up 53-44 with 4:45 left. The Cardinals (4-8, 0-1 SLC) were held scoreless for over five minutes in the fourth.
 
It was A&M-Corpus Christi's third straight victory over UIW after winning back-to-back non-conference games over the last week. The non-conference games were scheduled after the SLC Preseason Tipoff was canceled on the women's side.
 
Furthermore, the Islanders extended their winning-streak to four and remained undefeated at home where they've outscored the opposition 585-394.
 
A big night came from junior Hayle Campbell who turned in 13 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Paige Allen was also in double-figures with 11 points and six rebounds.
 
The Cardinals were led by Jaaucklyn Moore's 17 points. Moore entered the game as the league's leading scorer with 16.2 points per outing.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi got out to a quick 8-2 lead after a lay-up by senior Diamond Wraggs. Though, the Cardinals responded with a big 11-0 run to jump ahead 13-8 at the 1:46 mark. Campbell hit a three near the end of the quarter, but UIW remained ahead 15-11.
 
After UIW scored the first bucket of the second, the Islanders answered with a 6-0 run and tied it 17-17 after a fast-break jumper by Allen. A three by Allen put them ahead 22-19 with 2:54 remaining. However, the Cardinals tied it 26-26 on their final possession after a three by Moore.
 
A back-and-forth third quarter featured three ties and five lead changes. A&M-Corpus Christi trailed 42-37 when sophomore Violeta Verano hit a three, sophomore Mireia Aguado converted a lay-up and Campbell got a bucket to go back in front 44-42 heading into the fourth.
 
After the Cardinals scored the first basket of the fourth, the Islanders went on their 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game 53-44 with 4:45 to go. UIW didn't score again until the 3:48 mark and the Islanders made free throws down the stretch to stay ahead.
 
The Islanders will remain at home Thursday when they host McNeese in the American Bank Center at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
NOTES
- A&M-Corpus Christi is now 16-2 all-time against UIW and has won five in a row. The Islanders are 9-0 all-time at home against the Cardinals.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 209-144 all-time at home and 84-72 in the American Bank Center.
 
- Head coach Royce Chadwick is two away from 700 career wins. He's also 10 SLC wins away from becoming the winningest coach in an SLC career.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi entered the game ranked ninth in the nation in free throw attempts and had nearly twice as many as UIW. The Islanders were 17-of-21 from the line and the Cardinals were 10-of-11.
 
- Westbrook, who came into the night ranked top-15 in the country in rebounds per game (11.1), notched her 14th career double-double and sixth this season. It was also her 27th career double-figure scoring game and 11th in the last 12 games.
 
- Campbell's 13-point outburst was more than she had scored in the last five games combined. Campbell was two points shy of a season-high and three shy of a career-high. It was her eighth career double-figure scoring games and second this season.
 
- Allen tallied her 15th career double-figure scoring game and fifth this season. It was the sixth time this year that she grabbed at least three steals in a game.
 
- Verano entered the night leading the league in assists (4.5 apg) and dished out five. She's recorded at least two assists in every game this year.
 


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