First-Place Islanders Stomp McNeese 77-54 for Eighth Win in a Row

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Winning its eighth consecutive game, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program posted a dominant 77-54 victory over McNeese on Saturday at the Legacy Center.
 
With the win bundled with Northwestern State's loss to New Orleans, A&M-Corpus Christi (19-9, 12-3 SLC) has a one-game lead for first-place in the Southland Conference standings over the Demons.
 
The Islanders went on a run late in the first half to capture the momentum and carried it over to the second where they outscored McNeese (8-20, 5-10 SLC) by a big 39-22 margin. A&M-Corpus Christi limited McNeese to a .281 shooting mark in the second half, including 1-of-10 from three.
 
On the day, A&M-Corpus Christi went 21-of-22 from the free throw line for a season-best .950 clip. Seven different Islanders made a free throw. The Islanders also got out in transition and outscored the Cowboys 18-2 in fast breaks.
 
Senior Trevian Tennyson netted a game-high 23 points and was 8-of-13 from the floor. Senior Terrion Murdix stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.
 
A big second half came from senior De'Lazarus Keys where he scored all 14 of his points. He also pulled down nine rebounds. The Islanders garnered bench points from graduate Ross Williams, sophomore Jordan Roberts and freshman Owen Dease.
 
McNeese was guided by Jordan Massie's 20 points and seven rebounds. Christian Shumate contributed with 16 points and six rebounds.
 
Murdix got off to a hot start and scored the first nine points for the Islanders to keep it tied 9-9 at the 16:06 mark. Down 16-15, a lay-up by Murdix sparked a 7-0 run which also included a three by Tennyson to lead 22-16 with 7:56 to go.
 
The Cowboys responded with a 10-2 spurt to come back and take the lead 26-24 with 5:07 left. Though, A&M-Corpus Christi ended the half strong and used a trio of three-point plays by Tennyson to go up 38-32 at the intermission.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi came out hot in the second half as four lay-ups by Keys highlighted a 12-2 run to lead 50-34 with 15:58 remaining. Another lay-in by Keys increased it to 60-43 at the 10:51 mark.
 

Another lay-in for Keys. He's got 10 points in the second half.#ShakasUp // #LutzGo pic.twitter.com/n98e8VBFwl

— Islanders Men's Basketball (@Islanders_MBB) February 18, 2023

The Islanders kept their foot on the pedal the entire second half and went up 66-45 with 7:31 left after Tennyson nailed three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt. A lay-up by senior Jalen Jackson upped it to 70-47 with 4:28 to go.
 
The Islanders will return to the American Bank Center at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when they host Texas A&M-Commerce. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. On Saturday, A&M-Corpus Christi will face the second-place Demons at 4:30 p.m. on Homecoming.
 
NOTES
- It was the 15th consecutive win for A&M-Corpus Christi over McNeese dating back to 2013. The Islanders are now 18-5 all-time against the Cowboys.
 
- McNeese's biggest scoring run was eight consecutive points. The Islanders have only given up a scoring run of 10 or more consecutive points one time this season, making them one of just two teams in the nation to do so along with Auburn.
 
- The Islanders are one win away from their second consecutive 20-win season. Second-year head coach Steve Lutz is the only coach in program history to reach 20 wins in his first season, let alone first two. A&M-Corpus Christi last recorded consecutive 20-win seasons in 2015-17.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 26-2 under Lutz when holding the opposition to under 70 points.
 
- The Islanders are 9-0 SLC this year when they have more fast break points than the opposition.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 157-127 all-time in the Southland Conference since joining the league in 2006-07.
 
- The Islanders entered the night ranked eighth in the country in free throw percentage (.778) and 10th in steals per game (9.4). They'll improve on both averages after shooting .955 from the line and grabbing 10 steals.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi has outrebounded 13 of 15 opponents in conference. The Islanders outrebounded the Cowboys 39-36.
 
- In just his second season, Tennyson is chasing the school record for three-pointers made in a career. He's currently top-five with 157 and is trying to catch Brandon Pye who made 180 from 2012-16. Tennyson has made 83 this year, which is seven away from the single-season record of 90 by Josh Washington in 2006-07.
 
- Tennyson has registered double-figures in scoring in all 15 SLC games. It was his 43rd career double-digit scoring performance and 23rd this year. It was also his eighth career 20-plus performance and fifth this season. Tennyson is shooting .505 (56-111) from long distance in conference.
 
- Murdix tallied his 36th career double-digit scoring outing and 19th this year. He entered the game leading the SLC in both assists and steals and finished with six assists and four steals. Murdix was one rebound away from his second double-double of the year after he notched 17 points and 15 rebounds against Nicholls at home.
 
- Keys recorded his 20th career double-figure scoring game and fourth this year. He was two points shy of his season-high of 16 against Our Lady of the Lake. Keys was 6-of-11 from the field.
 


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#ShakasUp