CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Giving up the fewest points allowed in a game this season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program rallied in the second half for a 61-52 win over Lamar on Saturday at the American Bank Center.
A&M-Corpus Christi (17-9, 10-3 SLC) trailed Lamar (8-18, 4-9 SLC) by three at the half when it shot .600 from the field in the second and limited the Cardinals to a .360 clip on the day. It was the sixth consecutive win for the Islanders as they clinched a berth into the Southland Conference Tournament.
A&M-Corpus Christi's previous season-best in fewest points allowed was in a 75-55 victory over UTSA on Nov. 11.
The Islanders outrebounded Lamar 46-27 and controlled the paint where they outscored the Cardinals 32-8. They have outrebounded 12 of 13 conference opponents this season.
Senior
Trevian Tennyson netted a game-high 18 points to go along with a career-high six assists. Senior
Jalen Jackson registered 14 points, five rebounds and a season-high four steals.
A double-double was submitted by senior
Isaac Mushila with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He helped the Islanders hold a 10-3 edge in second chance points.
The Cardinals were paced by Chris Pryor's 17 points, seven assists and four steals. Nate Calmese also reached double-digits with 12 points.
A&M-Corpus Christi led 12-5 at the 12:36 mark after a lay-up by senior
De'Lazarus Keys. The Islanders increased it to 16-8 with 8:43 to go after a lay-in by Jackson.
The Cardinals answered with an 8-0 spurt to tie it 16-16 with 5:49 left. They took the lead 23-21 on a bucket by Pryor with 3:22 remaining and were still in front 27-24 at the break.
A&M-Corpus Christi tied it 32-32 early in the second on a basket by Mushila and took the lead 35-32 on a three by Tennyson with 14:46 left; Lamar never led again the rest of the way.
The Islanders increased it to 43-36 on another inside bucket by Mushila and upped it to 52-42 after free throws by Jackson at the 6:33 mark. The Cardinals couldn't muster enough offense down the stretch to get back in it. A fast-break lay-up by Jackson kept A&M-Corpus Christi ahead 60-49 with 3:30 remaining.
The Islanders will hit the road Thursday for a 7 p.m. game at Nicholls. A&M-Corpus Christi won the first meeting this year 96-86 at home as Murdix turned in 17 points and a school record 15 assists.
NOTES
- The Islanders are now 12-1 at home this year, 223-107 all-time at home and 148-78 in the American Bank Center.
- It marked the first time since 2006-07 that the Islanders have won six consecutive games by nine points or more. A&M-Corpus Christi went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament that season.
- Lamar's biggest scoring run was eight consecutive points. A&M-Corpus Christi remained one of just three teams in the nation to only give up a run of 10 or more points one time this year along with Auburn and Arizona.
- A&M-Corpus Christi has only given up a scoring run of 10 or more consecutive points one time this season, making them one of three teams in the nation to do so along with Auburn and Arizona.
- The Islanders improved to 25-2 in two seasons under head coach
Steve Lutz when the opposition scores below 70 points.
- A&M-Corpus Christi is now 155-127 all-time in the SLC since joining the league in 2006-07.
- The Islanders entered the game ranked 8th in the nation in free throw percentage (.778) and were right above average with a .786 mark. They're also 18th in the country in steals per game (9.2) and grabbed 12 in the contest.
- Tennyson has scored in double-figures in all 13 conference games where he leads the team with 18.5 points per outing. He recorded his 41st career double-figure scoring game and 21st this year. Tennyson surpassed his previous career-high of five assists against St. Mary's (TX) on Nov. 27, 2021.
- Mushila tallied his 24th career double-double and 11th this season. It was also his 41st career double-figure scoring game and 17th this year, and 28th career double-digit rebounding outing and 12th this season.
- Jackson notched his 14th career double-digit scoring game and seventh this year. His six made field goals were a season-high.
- Over the last 11 games, Tennyson is 45-of-87 (.517) from three-point range. He's scored in double-figures in all 12 conference games.
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