CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A defensive battle fell in favor of Southeastern 53-46 over a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team that struggled to get shots to fall early on Thursday night at the American Bank Center.
The Islanders (8-7, 3-1 SLC) got out to a slow start in the first half to fall behind early. They shot 50.0 percent from the field in the fourth quarter for 20 of their total points, but the rally fell short as Southeastern (8-6, 3-1 SLC) held on to a double-digit lead with 1:23 remaining in the game.
The Lady Lions got to the free throw line 17 times compared to A&M-Corpus Christi's 11, where they made seven more free throws than the Islanders, which made up the difference of the final score.
Only five Islanders got points on the board, with three of them scoring in double figures. Junior
Paige Allen led the team with 13 points after netting five field goals. Also with five made goals was senior
Alecia Westbrook who turned in 12 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double. Senior
Makinna Serrata scored 11 points.
Freshman
Jaeda Whitner came off the bench to bucket three long-range shots in the second half for nine points on the night. It was her second time this season scoring at least three three-pointers in an outing.
Southeastern's edge came from the 20-point performance by Alexius Horne who made six field goals, half of which were from beyond-the-arc. The Lady Lions shot 44.4 percent from the three-point line.
Serrata started the night off with a jumper at the 9:06 mark. Southeastern responded with a 9-0 scoring run before a free throw by Westbrook snapped it and sent the game to the second quarter with the Lady Lions leading it 11-5.
Shots by Serrata and Westbrook opened the second quarter for the Islanders to make it a one-possession game 11-9 before Southeastern managed to go up 17-11 with 7:10 remaining. Allen knocked down the shot from deep to cut the deficit back down to three, but back-to-back buckets by Southeastern kept the Lady Lions ahead 21-14 at the break.
Serrata opened the second half with a bucket in the paint but Southeastern got up to a 10-point lead at the 7:20 mark. The Islanders finally got some momentum going as an 8-0 scoring run that ended with the three-pointer by Whitner cut into Southeastern's lead 30-26, though the Lady Lions held a 35-26 lead heading into the final quarter.
20 points came in the fourth quarter for A&M-Corpus Christi with the help of a pair of triples by Whitner and the long awaited layup by junior
Violeta Verano, but the offensive spurt fell short as Southeastern finished out the 53-46 win.
The Islanders will remain at home in the American Bank Center for a 1 p.m. tip against New Orleans on Saturday.
NOTES
- The Islanders now lead 12-11 in the all-time record over Southeastern and 7-4 at home. A&M-Corpus Christi is also now 90-73 at the American Bank Center and 220-146 all-time at home.
- A&M-Corpus Christi entered the game leading the Southland in scoring defense at 56.3 points per game and will improve after holding Southeastern to 53 points.
- The Islanders are 90-85 all-time in the month of January. Under head coach
Royce Chadwick, they are 94-81 all-time in the Southland Conference.
- Allen's season-high of 13 points marked her 21
st career double figure scoring game, fifth this season and second in a row. She has grabbed at least five rebounds in each conference game this year.
- Westbrook submitted her 25
th career double-double, seventh this season and fourth in a row. She has recorded a double-double in each conference game this year and now averages a double-double of 11.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
- Serrata recorded her 42
nd career double digit scoring game, 10
th this season and second in a row. She also averages in double figures with 10.9 points per outing this year.
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