EDINBURG, Texas – Going for the season sweep, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program will head to the UTRGV Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to face the Vaqueros in the South Texas Showdown, presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union.
The South Texas Showdown is an annual rivalry series in which A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV compete against each other in 12 sports. The Islanders lead the yearly series 5-1 as an institution, but trail this year 13-9 with each game counting as three points and one awarded for attendance.
A&M-Corpus Christi (4-3) won the first meeting this year 97-75 despite the Vaqueros (4-3) shooting .650 from the floor. Graduate
Ross Williams netted a game-high 24 points and was 6-of-11 from three.
With a win, it would be the second year in a row the Islanders swept UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown. A&M-Corpus Christi is 19-11 all-time against UTRGV and 3-0 under head coach
Steve Lutz.
The Islanders travel to Edinburg after three games at the UTEP Tournament. The tournament was highlighted by a 98-67 victory over an Alcorn squad which won the SWAC regular season title last year and has wins over Wichita State and Stephen F. Austin this year. A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 8-3 in neutral court games under Lutz.
Senior
Isaac Mushila leads the Islanders in both scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (11.3 rpg). He's one of four Islanders averaging in double-figure scoring along with senior
Trevian Tennyson (13.3 ppg), senior
Terrion Murdix (11.9 ppg) and Williams (11.4 ppg).
Murdix and Tennyson have both posted four consecutive double-figure scoring outings.
Since falling to the Islanders on Nov. 17, the Vaqueros have bounced back with a pair of Division I wins. They beat Western Illinois 78-77 and Northern Arizona 91-79. Though, they are coming off a 91-54 defeat at No. 4 Texas.
Justin Johnson leads UTRGV with 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He recorded 11 points and five rebounds in the first game this year, and tallied 33 points and eight rebounds at home against the Islanders last season.
The game can be watched with a subscription on ESPN+. It can also be heard live for free on 1440 AM NewsTalk K-E-Y-S with Steven King on the call.
NOTES
- The Islanders are in a stretch of 20 days between home games, their longest of the season.
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 9-4 in the month of November under Lutz in two seasons.
- A&M-Corpus Christi ranks first in the Southland Conference in free throw percentage (.762) and defensive rebounding (25.3 drpg). Individually, Mushila is first in the league in rebounding (11.3 rpg).
- Mushila was named to the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award Watch List, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball. Mushila was the only player from the Southland Conference on the list.
- A&M-Corpus Christi has used six different starting lineups in seven games. The one staple has been Mushila who has started in all seven.
- The Islanders are 2-0 this year when coming off a loss. They beat UTSA after falling to Mississippi State, and defeated Alcorn after falling to CSU Bakersfield.
- In two seasons under Lutz, the Islanders are 10-0 when they shoot over 50 percent from the field.
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).
#ShakasUp
