CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Another weekend of SLC play is on tap for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team who returns to the American Bank Center to welcome McNeese Thursday at 7 p.m. and Nicholls Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Islanders (10-5, 3-1 SLC) return home after a three-game road stretch, garnering close wins over UIW and most recently, a come-from-behind 61-54 win at UNO. In it, A&M-Corpus Christi registered a season-high 57 rebounds as well as going 24-of-25 from the free throw line for a 96.0 percent clip to break the program single-game record previously set at 94.7 percent at Centenary on Jan. 27, 2001.
Junior
Nabaweeyah McGill contributed to that mark after going 10-of-10 from the charity strip, helping her get to 12 points to go along with her 12 rebounds for her first career double-double. The Islanders have had a player go 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the last two games after graduate
Alecia Westbrook did the same feat at SLU.
Westbrook is leading the conference in defensive rebounding with 5.9 drpg, second in rebounding (7.8 rpg), second in steals (2.0 spg), fifth in off. rebounding (1.9 orpg) and fifth in FG% (.485). McGill also ranks atop the standings with 1.6 blocks per game and third in off. rebounding (2.3 orpg). Junior
Tymberlin Criswell ranks third in steals (1.9 spg).
Westbrook is the sixth active player in the NCAA to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Her career total (1,039) comes right behind Angel Reese's (LSU) 1,146. She also finds her name in the active career leader list in free throw attempts (8th, 654), free throws made (8th, 492), and double-doubles (14th, 37).
As a team, the Islanders lead the Southland Conference in scoring defense (55.4 ppg), scoring margin (+10.2), FG% defense (.336), rebounding (41.0 rpg), blocked shots (4.1 bpg), assists (14.1 apg), and steals (11.3 spg).
The Islanders average 65.9 points per game, with 28.1 coming from off the bench which ranks them 19th in the NCAA. They also top-10 nationally in 3FG% defense, FG% defense, and free throws made per game (16.53).
McNeese (4-13, 0-4 SLC) averages the second-most points in the league with 69.0 per game, but is still searching for its first SLC win of the year. The Cowgirls' offense is mainly driven by Emilia Tenbrock who scores 15.3 ppg which ranks second overall in the conference.
Nicholls (7-9, 1-3 SLC) will play at UIW Thursday night before heading down to Corpus Christi Saturday. The Colonels are under the direction of first-year head coach Justin Payne who led the team to a 3-0 start to the season the first time in program history.
Both games can be watched live with a subscription to ESPN+. Doug Kesterson will be on the call.
NOTES
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 13-9 all-time over McNeese and 9-2 when playing the Cowgirls at home. The Islanders swept the series last year, winning by at least 13 points in both. They have not lost to the Cowgirls at home since the 2010-11 season.
- The Islanders lead the Colonels 14-9 in the all-time record and 9-2 at home. A&M-Corpus Christi has not lost to Nicholls since 2018-19. Last year in Corpus Christi, the Islanders posted their biggest win against a Southland opponent since Jan. 25, 2014 after topping Nicholls 86-47. It was the first 30+ point victory over a conference foe for the Islanders since the 2019-20 season.
- The Islanders are 7-2 at home this season, 232-150 all-time at home, and 98-75 in the American Bank Center. With eight home games remaining on the schedule, they are on track to posting its third consecutive season to win at least 10 games on their home court.
- The Islanders are 9-0 this year when they score 60 or more points and when holding the opposition to under 60 points.
- A&M-Corpus Christi has scored at least 50 points in every game this season. It is the first time since 2018-19 that the Islanders have scored at least 50 points in each of the first 15 games of the season.
- In its first home SLC game of the season, A&M-Corpus Christi secured the first conference win among the league on opening day with a big 73-49 win over HCU. The final +24 advantage marked the largest margin of victory for the Islanders in their conference opener since joining the Southland in 2006-07
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