CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team closed out the nonconference slate with a bang, defeating Concordia 76-45 Saturday in its final game played at the Dugan Wellness Center this year.
The Islanders (7-4) utilized a first-half surge to score 46 points by halftime, and built on it in the second to finish with the +31 victory over Concordia (2-10). 40 of A&M-Corpus Christi's points came off turnovers, as the Islanders grabbed a season-high 23 steals with graduate
Alecia Westbrook recording eight herself.
Another advantage came from the free throw line, where the Islanders went 27-of-30 (.900) while only letting the Tornados shoot six from the charity strip.
Westbrook was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to help finish with 10 points. Senior
Violeta Verano joined Westbrook in double figures with 10 points herself, while senior
Paige Allen, junior
Jaeda Whitner, and junior
Maya Ellis all scored nine points each. Ellis made a team-high seven free throws on the day.
Every Islander who scored contributed at least five points.
Concordia was led by the 10-point performance of Jordan Bravo. The Tornados attacked the most inside the paint where they outscored the Islanders 26-22.
Junior
Annukka Willstedt got things going, scoring on the takeaway a minute in. Allen hit the jumper to get the Islanders up 4-3, though, Concordia fought the early fight to be up 7-6 at 7:13. It wouldn't last long, as Willstedt scored off the steal again to reverse the lead which stayed with the Islanders the rest of the way. Senior
Mireia Aguado drew the and-one at 3:49 to up it to 17-9 before Westbrook forced the turnover and got it to Whitner for the made three and 24-14 lead with 1:26 in the first.
Junior
Nabaweeyah McGill ended the first with the bucket before opening the second with a pair of free throws. Senior
Sasha Shishkina hit the long-range goal at 8:33 for the 31-16 A&M-Corpus Christi advantage. Verano and junior
Tymberlin Criswell also both went deep as the Islanders led it 38-23 with 5:35 to go in the half. Westbrook and Criswell both bucketed another shot, and the Islanders were up 46-27 at the break.
Two consecutive steal-and-scores started the third as the Islanders added to their lead 50-27. Verano went coast to coast and sank the three at 8:11 before the fastbreak lay-in by Allen at 7:23 made it 55-27 to cap the 9-0 run for A&M-Corpus Christi. Concordia was held to just seven points this quarter, while a pair of free throws from both Westbrook and McGill upped the score to 61-34 heading to the fourth.
Ellis knocked in the first seven points for the Islanders in the fourth, who led it 68-43 with 3:15 remaining. Back-to-back threes from Whitner pushed A&M-Corpus Christi to a 30+ point lead with 1:41 remaining as the team kept it as they closed out the win.
It marked the second straight game the Islanders scored at least 70 points and have won by at least 30 points.
The Islanders, having wrapped up the nonconference schedule, will now prep for Southland Conference play. They will open the campaign at home against HCU on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center.
NOTES
- It marked the second ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and Concordia. The Islanders improve to 2-0 over the Tornados after winning the first meeting 84-38.
- The Islanders conclude their competition at the Dugan Wellness Center for 2023-24, improving to a 63-31 all-time record in the gym. They are now 6-2 at home this season, 230-150 all-time at home, and have won at least 10 home games in both of the last two seasons.
- The Islanders have held their opponents to under 70 points in all of their wins this season. They also improve to 6-0 on the year when they outrebound their opponents.
- A&M-Corpus Christi entered the game ranked 12
th in the NCAA in bench points, averaging 31.2 per game. They will improve after the bench contributed 36 points today.
- The 23 steals were one shy of matching the program's record for most steals in a game, set in 2006 against Huston-Tillotson.
- Westbrook's broke her career-high with eight steals, surpassing her previous best of six set against UIW on Jan. 4, 2023. She is currently third in the program's record book in total steals with her now-208 career steals.
- Westbrook also submitted her sixth double figure scoring game of the season, second in a row, and 67
th in her career.
- Verano registered her third double figure scoring game of the season, third in the last four games, and 19
th in her career. It was her second time this year to make a pair of threes in a game.
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