CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Just like it started, the 2022-23 non-conference slate will end against a Power Five program for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team as it will host Washington State Monday night at 7 p.m. CT in the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (5-5) will face their fourth Power Five opponent of the season, after already playing Texas Tech in the season opener followed by Texas A&M and Nebraska. A&M-Corpus Christi kept both Texas Tech and Texas A&M to under 70 points.
A&M-Corpus Christi currently holds the second longest home-winning streak in the nation at 18 games. The Islanders are 219-144 all-time at home and 58-28 in the Dugan Wellness Center and have outscored the opposition 278-165 at home this year.
The Islanders are coming off their first road win of the season at Texas State, taking it 56-47 with the help of junior
Violeta Verano who drove the offense with 18 points. She netted a pair of three-pointers to aid in her effort while also dishing out six assists and getting five steals, her career-high.
Redshirt senior
Makinna Serrata scored 14 points against the Bobcats while freshman
Bruna Anguera turned in her career-high of 12. Serrata is the only Islander to average in double digits at 11.3 ppg.
In the Southland, A&M-Corpus Christi ranks first in in defense scoring (55.4 ppg), opponent FG percentage (.366), rebounding margin (+3.2), and combined opp. rebounds (33.9 rpg). The Islanders rank second in opponent 3FG percentage (.250), scoring margin (+4.1), and assist:turnover ratio (0.81).
Individually, senior
Alecia Westbrook leads the Southland in rebounding with 9.3 rpg and third in FT percentage at .829. Verano ranks second in assists at 3.5 apg and third in assist:turnover ratio at 1.2. Sophomore
Jaeda Whitner ranks fifth in 3FG percentage at .440.
Washington State (8-2) is coming off an 83-56 win against Jackson State on Saturday. Since the NCAA era, the Cougars have tied its best start to a season with their only loses coming against Washington and Brigham Young.
The Cougars are averaging 75.0 points per game and are led by Charlisse Leger-Walker who individually averages 22.2 points per game. Leger-Walker shoots .443 (31-70) from beyond-the-arc and .882 (45-51) from the free throw line, both a team-high.
The game can be watched on ESPN+ with Doug Kesterson on the call. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at goislanders.com/tickets or by phone at 361-825-BALL (2255). The ticket office can also be reached via email at tickets@tamucc.edu.
NOTES
- Monday will mark the first-ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and the Cougars. Washington State will be the first Power Five program that the Islanders have hosted since 2012 when they welcomed Indiana.
- The Islanders will be going for their fourth win over a Power Five program in school history and the first since 2009-10 when they beat Alabama 96-90. A&M-Corpus Christi also defeated both Indiana and West Virginia in 2004-05.
- In its last home game, A&M-Corpus Christi beat St. Thomas 80-23 which broke the program record for fewest points allowed in a game. It also marked the first time this season the Islanders scored 80+ points and shot at least 50 percent from the field (54.5).
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 5-0 when holding the opposition to under 60 points and when posting a positive turnover margin.
- All 15 student-athletes have seen time on the court, with at least 14 Islanders playing in a single game four times this year.
- Both Serrata and Westbrook are on track to reach the 1,000 career points-milestone this season. Serrata has 815 career points and Westbrook has 861.
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