LAKE CHARLES, La. – Beating McNeese for the third time this season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program pulled away from the Cowboys midway through the second half for a 65-53 win Thursday at the Legacy Center.
A&M-Corpus Christi (18-10, 5-6 SLC) built an eight-point halftime lead over McNeese (10-19, 4-8 SLC) and then used a 9-0 run in the second to go up 18 with just under six minutes left and put the game out of reach.
The road win came after the Islanders defeated the Cowboys 67-54 on a neutral court at the SLC Preseason Tipoff and 60-56 at home.
The Islanders turned in a stellar defensive effort. The 53 points allowed were the fewest they've given up in SLC play this year. They held McNeese to a .288 (17-59) shooting mark and .115 (3-26) from beyond-the-arc.
Senior
San Antonio Brinson turned in a big night with a season-high 14 points and seven rebounds. He was one of two A&M-Corpus Christi student-athletes in double-figures along with senior
Simeon Fryer with 12 points.
An all-around effort came from junior
Terrion Murdix with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists. Junior
Isaac Mushila finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
The Cowboys were paced by Kellon Taylor's 12 points. Christian Shumate ended with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Islanders started ahead 13-8 at the 11:38 mark after Fryer drilled a three from the corner in transition. A pair of long-range shots by Brinson kept them in front 23-17 with 6:32 to go.
The largest lead of the half 31-21 came after a drive by Brinson with 2:47 remaining. The Cowboys scored the last two points of the half, but A&M-Corpus Christi took a 31-23 advantage into the locker room.
The Islanders were still up 34-26 with 17:25 left in the second after a three by junior
Trevian Tennyson. After McNeese cut it to 38-35, junior
Jalen Jackson hit a three late in the shot clock to stay in front 41-35 at the 12:20 mark.
A&M-Corpus Christi extended its lead into double-figures 47-36 with 10:37 to go after lay-ups by Brinson and Fryer. A big dunk by Brinson, followed by an old-fashion three-point play by Murdix and a pair of lay-ins by Mushila increased it to 58-40 with 5:46 remaining.
The Cowboys scored late, but the hole was too deep. They cut it to 62-53 with under a minute left but didn't come any closer.
The Islanders will close out the weekend with a 7 p.m. road game Saturday against HBU at Sharp Gym.
NOTES
- A&M-Corpus Christi is now 16-5 all-time against McNeese and has won 13 in a row.
- A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 12-0 this season when holding the opposition to under 70 points.
- The Islanders outscored the Cowboys 28-18 in the paint.
- Mushila entered the night ranked sixth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3.63 orpg) and pulled down five.
- Tennyson continued his streak of hitting a three-pointer in every game this year.
- Brinson topped his previous season-high of 12 points at Notre Dame on Dec. 22, 2021. His six made field goals were also a season-high. Brinson registered his third double-figure scoring game of the season.
- Fryer tallied his 16th career double-figure scoring game and ninth this year. He was 4-of-8 from the field and nailed a pair of threes.
-Murdix entered the game leading the SLC in assists (3.7 apg) and dished out six.
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
