COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Going up against its second Power Five program in a row, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team had all 15 student-athletes see time on the court to gain valuable experience in the 69-45 loss at Texas A&M Thursday night at Reed Arena.
The Islanders (0-2) hung tough with the Aggies (1-0) to stay within 12 points through the first half. A&M-Corpus Christi fought out of half time to get back within six, but Texas A&M built its lead back to pull away for the win.
Senior
Makinna Serrata, a Preseason All-Conference First-Team selection, led the scoring for the Islanders with 11 points, her first double-figure scoring game of the season. She was 4-8 from the field and 2-2 from the free-throw line. Serrata also pulled down six rebounds as did freshman
Bruna Anguera and junior
Justis Odom.
Anguera's six points came from two shots behind the three-point line. Junior
Maya Ellis and senior
Alecia Westbrook each recorded six points while Westbrook also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots. Junior
Paige Allen, who led the team in steals last year, added three to her record.
The Aggies had three players score in double-figures and were led by Sydney Bowles who scored a game-high 13 points. She knocked down three field goals from long-range.
The Islanders struck first with the layup by Serrata 20 seconds into the game. Serrata scored another bucket in the paint to keep the Islanders ahead 4-3 before a pair of free throws by Westbrook extended it to 6-3. The Aggies took over after consecutive three-pointers to lead 20-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Texas A&M maintained a lead no less than seven points through the second quarter when a layup by junior
Nabaweeyah McGill took the score to 24-17. A last second jumper by Texas A&M propelled the Aggies to a 38-26 lead going to the intermission.
The layup on the fastbreak by Ellis got the Islanders within six (38-32) at the 8:48 mark in the third quarter, but the Aggies went on a 14-0 scoring run to pull away and never look back.
The fourth quarter was highlighted by junior
Sasha Shishkina's layup in the paint and the buzzer-beater three by Anguera, but the Aggies secured the 69-45 win.
Up next, the Islanders will play in their home opener when they host Texas Lutheran on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. CT in the Dugan Wellness Center. A&M-Corpus Christi currently holds the seventh longest active home-winning streak in the nation after going 14-0 at home last season.
NOTES
- The Islanders kept both Texas Tech and Texas A&M to under 70 points. This season was just the third time the Islanders opened with a pair of Power Five opponents and first since 2011-12 when they opened with Missouri and Colorado.
- It marked the second time A&M-Corpus Christi kept the Aggies to under 70 points in the all-time record. The first was in 2004-05 when Texas A&M edged the Islanders 65-59.
- A&M-Corpus Christi outrebounded the Aggies 12-10 in the first quarter.
- All 15 student-athletes on A&M-Corpus Christi's 2022-23 roster saw time on the court, with 14 of them taking a shot.
- Anguera knocked in a pair of threes tonight, making her the only player on the team to have scored from long-range in both games this season.
- Serrata notched her first double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points. She turned in 22 double-figure scoring games last season.
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