CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Going down to the wire, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team was beat out by UTSA 66-59 in overtime Wednesday night at the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (2-2) held a cushioned 43-32 lead through three quarters before UTSA (2-1) responded big in the fourth to be ahead 53-51 with under a minute to go in regulation. The Islanders drew two crucial fouls in the final 10 seconds, but they were only able to convert two free throws to result in overtime. From there, UTSA jumped out with a 6-0 scoring run and didn't look back to take it 66-59.
A&M-Corpus Christi outshot UTSA .392 to .375, however, the Roadrunners edged out the Islanders 48-33 in rebounds to help them convert seven more points off the second chance, the difference in the game.
Graduate
Alecia Westbrook led the team with 17 points for her second straight double figure scoring game. Seniors
Paige Allen and
Mireia Aguado both tallied 14 points as the trio of double figure scorers each bucketed five field goals.
Westbrook and Allen came down with eight rebounds apiece while the former also dished out five assists, two blocks, and two steals. Junior
Nabaweeyah McGill led the game with four blocks before fouling out.
UTSA was led by the 18-point performance of Kya White who scored eight points alone in the fourth to help flip the script. She was joined in double figures with Elyssa Coleman (14) and Sidney Love (10) as the Roadrunners also had a trio to 10+ performers.
For the second game in a row, the Islanders scored off the tip for the quick 2-0 lead following the jumper by Allen. A pair of timely threes by junior
Annukka Willstedt helped the Islanders double-up UTSA 16-8 with 1:46 on the clock but the inside shot from the Roadrunners made it a 16-10 game heading to the second.
Aguado laid one in at the 8:06 mark to break a near two-minute scoring drought. Aguado then finished the steal-and-score with the and-one as the Islanders went up 21-10 with 6:52 to go. Junior
Tymberlin Criswell nailed one inside the paint to keep A&M-Corpus Christi ahead by 10 with 10 seconds to play, but Aguado extended it to 33-20 after driving to the rim and laying in the buzzer beater after another UTSA turnover.
While the Roadrunners only scored 10 points in each of the first two quarters, the Islanders were faced with the same plague as they could only put up 20 points in the second half. This allowed UTSA to make up the half-time difference after posting 33 points between the third and fourth quarters and force overtime.
UTSA entered the extra five minutes of play with an early two points after drawing a foul within the first five seconds. They went up 57-53 with 3:58 remaining in the overtime, but the Islanders could never cut the four-point difference to end behind the Roadrunners 66-59.
The Islanders will now hit the road in a big trip west to face Santa Clara over Thanksgiving break. The game is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT.
NOTES
- It was the third of 17 home games to be played this year for the Islanders. They have won at least 10 home games in both of the last two seasons.
- The Islanders have scored at least 50 points in every game this season, including at Texas A&M.
- It was the first time this year that the Islanders didn't play all 14 players. It is also the first time they didn't outscore their opponent in bench points.
- The Islanders posted its third positive turnover margin of the season, only turning the ball over 17 times compared to UTSA's 20.
- Westbrook submitted her second straight double figure scoring game of the season and 63
rd in her career. Her 17 points beat her previous season-best of 16 set against Schreiner two nights prior.
- Allen recorded her second double figure scoring game of the season, second in three games, and 33
rd in her career. Her 14 points also beat her previous season-best of 11 set at Texas A&M.
- Aguado registered her third double digit scoring game of the year. Her 14 points matched her career-best, set against New Orleans on Jan. 20, 2021. Prior to this season, she had only scored 10+ points in a game two other times in her career.
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