BEAUMONT, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team will have its first week of consecutive road conference games, first facing Lamar on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Montagne Center and then heading to HCU for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday at Sharp Gym.
The Islanders (9-7, 4-1 SLC) are coming off a double digit 58-45 win over New Orleans at home. The teams were tied at the half before the Islanders outscored the Privateers 15-4 in the third quarter to pull away by double digits for the remainder of the game. It was the first game this season that the Islanders were tied with their opposition at the half.
Senior
Alecia Westbrook recorded her second 20+ point scoring performance this year in the win over the Privateers, in addition to getting 11 rebounds and five assists, one shy of her career best. It was her fifth straight double-double and eighth total this season, as she now averages a double-double of 11.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Junior
Paige Allen is now averaging 10.8 points in conference play and has grabbed at least five rebounds in each Southland meeting. Freshman
Jaeda Whitner made her second ever start for the Islanders against New Orleans and netted three long-range shots for 11 points. It was her third time this season scoring at least three three-pointers in an outing and second in a row.
Nationally, Westbrook ranks 17th in defensive rebounds per game (7.4), 23rd in rebounds per game, and 23rd in double-doubles. She leads the Southland in double-doubles, free throw attempts (97), free throws made (75), rebounds (162), defensive rebounds per game, and rebounds per game.
Whitner ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.444). In the top-five, junior
Violeta Verano ranks in assists (2.9 apg) while Allen ranks in steals (1.8 spg).
The Islanders have won their last three straight road games, already having defeated both Northwestern State and UIW on the road in conference play.
Lamar (8-8, 2-3 SLC) has conference wins over McNeese and Southeastern, including posting a 21-point win over the Cowgirls. The Cardinals are shooting .347 from the arc on the year which leads the Southland, while Akasha Davis tops the league in field goal percentage at .531.
HCU (7-9, 2-3 SLC) has garnered a pair of wins over New Orleans in SLC play. The Huskies turn in a league-leading .732 team free throw percentage and also rank first in blocked shots with an average of 4.25 per game. N'Denasija Collins ranks fifth in the Southland in scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg).
Both games can be watched with a subscription on ESPN+, and listened to for free on 1440 AM KEYS with Doug Kesterson on the call.
NOTES
- Lamar leads the all-time record 18-12 over A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders are 5-11 when they play the Cardinals in Beaumont.
- A&M-Corpus Christi leads HCU 13-8 all-time, and the teams are evened 5-5 when they play in Houston. A&M-Corpus Christi held HCU to under 60 points in all three meetings last year.
- The Islanders are 9-1 when they hold the opposition to under 60 points. They have held every conference opponent to under 60 points so far this year.
- The Islanders nationally rank 20th in scoring defense (55.4), 31st in opponent field goal percentage (.360), and 32nd in free throw attempts per game (21.44). They lead the Southland in each of those categories along with rebounding margin (4.4) and winning percentage (56.2).
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 91-85 all-time in the month of January. Under head coach
Royce Chadwick, they are 95-81 all-time in the Southland Conference.
- A&M-Corpus Christi was predicted to win the league after garnering 11 first-place votes in the SLC Preseason Poll.
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