CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In front of a sold-out crowd, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team soared to a 77-33 win over Our Lady of the Lake Tuesday in the Dugan Wellness Center where graduate
Alecia Westbrook made history yet again on Education Day, presented by Whataburger.
Westbrook first broke the program record for career rebounds, securing her 995
th within the first three minutes of the game to surpass Elisa Beagle's (2005-10) 994. She then grabbed her seventh and final rebound of the day in the third quarter, exiting the game with an even 1,000 career rebounds which made her the first player in program history to do so.
It came after Westbrook made her 100
th career start in an Islanders uniform.
The Islanders (6-4) have now won three in a row, the longest win streak of the year. They sandwiched the game with 26-point first and fourth quarters and held the Saints (3-7) to just three points in the second quarter. It was helped from a season-best 48.2 shooting from the field.
Westbrook and senior
Mireia Aguado each ended with the team-best 13 points. They were joined in double figures by junior
Annukka Willstedt with 12 after sinking an early pair of threes.
Willstedt was one of four Islanders to nail a pair of shots from long-range, including junior
Tymberlin Criswell, senior
Sasha Shishkina, and junior
Jaeda Whitner, to help the Islanders to a season-high nine made three-pointers. The Islanders have now shot above 33.3 percent from beyond-the-arc in each of the last three games.
OLLU produced the game-leader in scoring, as Evangeline Hernandez came off the bench and scored all 15 of the team's points in the fourth quarter.
After winning the tip, Willstedt quickly got things going for the Islanders and drilled the game-opening three before going deep again for the 6-0 start. Westbrook then grabbed her program breaking rebound, scoring on the play after banking in the inside shot for the 8-1 lead. While the Saints were held scoreless for the last three minutes of the first, the Islanders upped their lead to 26-9 capped by the three-pointer from Whitner.
Westbrook grabbed the steal and got it to Willstedt for the first points of the second. Though, neither team could convert again until 4:16 when Westbrook drew the foul for two free throws. Up 30-9, senior
Paige Allen connected off the jumper before her lay-in at 2:18 pushed the Islanders ahead 36-11. Free throws from Westbrook and Shishkina closed out the half up 38-12.
Willstedt again scored first for the Islanders in the third, grabbing her own rebound for the putback. The block at the three-point line from junior
Nabaweeyah McGill led to the fastbreak bucket by Willstedt as the Islanders took a 42-14 lead with 5:57 on the clock. Another second chance bucket came at 2:09 when Aguado found Criswell for the inside shot, before Criswell went deep in the next possession for a 51-16 lead after the third.
The three by Whitner had the Islanders up 56-18 in the fourth with 6:37 remaining. The Saints would go on a mini 5-0 scoring run, but junior
Maya Ellis cut it short with the bucket. Shishkina got a quick five points to make it 63-23 and Aguado's three-pointer came at 3:31 for a 68-26 lead. The Saints got to 33 but were held scoreless the remaining 1:52 while Ellis and Shishkina both added on the attack for the final 77-33 score.
The Islanders will now enjoy time off before returning to the Dugan Wellness Center on Dec. 30 to host Concordia at 1 p.m.
NOTES
- It was the first ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and Our Lady of the Lake. It was also the seventh home game of the year for the Islanders, who improve to 5-2 on their home court for the 2023-24 season and 229-150 all-time.
- The Islanders also improve to 5-0 on the year when they score over 60 points and outrebound their opponent.
- The Islanders entered the game ranked 18
th in the nation in bench points per game with 30.4 and will improve after showing their depth for 38 points off the bench.
- Westbrook has now become the sixth active player in the NCAA to reach 1,000 career points. Her total comes right behind Angel Reese's (LSU) 1,069. In addition, she has in total broken the program career records for free throws made, free throws attempted, defensive rebounds, double-doubles, and total rebounds. She continues to chase the program record for minutes play and total points.
- Westbrook also submitted her fifth double figure scoring game of the season, 66
th in her career, and second in the last three games.
- Aguado registered her fourth 10+ scoring game of the year and sixth in her career. She was one point shy of matching her career best, set at 14 two times. She made her second-ever three-pointer in a game after making her first against UTRGV on Dec. 5 of this year.
- Willstedt turned in her season-best of 12 points for her third double digit scoring game of the season and sixth in her career. She has made multiple three-pointers in six games this year, including in each of the last three games.
- McGill entered the day leading the SLC with 1.9 blocks per game and was on par with two against OLLU. She has recorded multiple blocks in a game six times this year.
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