LUBBOCK, Texas – In a game that was decided in the final minutes, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program went toe-to-toe with Texas Tech in a 73-64 final on Thursday at United Supermarkets Arena.
A&M-Corpus Christi (2-2) trimmed a 12-point deficit down to just two mid-way through the second half and was as close as 64-60 with under three minutes remaining. The Red Raiders (3-0) were able to make just enough plays down the stretch to close it out.
The Islanders outscored Texas Tech 18-14 in points off turnovers and 29-24 in bench scoring. Junior
Dian Wright-Forde came off the bench to net a team-high 16 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore
Owen Dease also turned in a strong performance with 14 points, two blocks and two steals.
A&M-Corpus Christi grabbed more steals than Texas Tech (11-8), more offensive rebounds (13-12) and matched the number of blocks (5-5). The Islanders also made more field goals (26-24).
A&M-Corpus Christi's defense limited Texas Tech to just a 5-of-24 (.208) mark from beyond-the-arc. On the other end, the Islanders were 7-of-17 (.412) from long range as junior
Jordan Roberts and Dease each drilled a pair.
The Islanders got off to a strong start as Dease opened the game with a three and a jumper by graduate
Marion Humphrey upped it to 8-2 at the 17:37 mark. A&M-Corpus Christi was still in front 11-9 after a field goal by graduate
Lance-Amir Paul with 12:04 left.
Another bucket by Paul kept the Islanders ahead 15-13 with 10:12 remaining. However, the Red Raiders went on a run late in the half and closed it out strong to grab a 41-31 lead at the intermission.
Texas Tech was still on top 46-36 when A&M-Corpus Christi clawed back with an 11-3 spurt as a strong take by Wright-Forde trimmed it to 49-237 with 12:22 to go. The Islanders were only behind 51-49 at the 10:28 mark after a hook shot by senior
Dayne Prim with 10:28 left.
The Red Raiders responded with a 9-1 run to go up 60-51 with 6:09 remaining but the Islanders did not go away. Field goals by junior
Christian Villegas and Dease got it back down to 62-58 with 3:36 to go.
A lay-up by sophomore
Stephen Giwa kept A&M-Corpus Christi alive at 64-60 at the 2:59 mark, but the Islanders could not get any closer. Texas Tech scored the next five points to lead by nine and made free throws in the final minute.
The game was the first of four consecutive away from home and A&M-Corpus Christi will head to Northern Kentucky for a 5 p.m. road game Wednesday. The next home game is Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center against UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.
NOTES
- It was the seventh meeting all-time between the Islanders and Red Raiders. A&M-Corpus Christi's lone win in the series came on Dec. 18, 2000 in an 86-80 victory.
- The Islanders continued to showcase their depth as 10 different student-athletes scored and seven grabbed a rebound. No one on A&M-Corpus Christi's roster played over 27 minutes.
- The 64 points scored by the Islanders were the most Texas Tech has allowed in a game this season. The Red Raiders came in averaging just 44.0 points per game defensively, which included a 73-46 win over fellow Southland Conference member Texas A&M-Commerce.
- Through four games, the Islanders hold opponents to a .256 clip from three-point range which is second-best in the SLC.
- Wright-Forde erupted offensively as he doubled his previous season-high of eight points against Dallas Christian on Monday. He was 6-of-14 from the field which included a three-pointer and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
- Dease submitted his seventh career double-figure scoring game and second this season. His 14 points topped his previous season-high of 13 against Southwestern Adventist.
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