CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Securing the first conference win among the league, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team got the Southland slate rolling with a big 73-49 win over HCU Wednesday night at the American Bank Center.
Despite trailing by one after the first quarter, the Islanders (8-4) rallied for a massive 27-point second quarter to take a 41-26 lead over HCU (5-7) into halftime. From there, A&M-Corpus Christi got its long-range game going and built on its lead for the final +24 advantage, the largest margin of victory for the Islanders in their conference opener since joining the Southland in 2006-07.
By the end, the Islanders shot 44.1 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range, their second-best mark this season in both. A&M-Corpus Christi has nailed at least eight three-pointers in the last five games.
Four Islanders showed out in double figures for the conference opener, including senior
Paige Allen who found a rhythm for 15 points and neared the double-double with nine rebounds. Junior
Nabaweeyah McGill followed with 11 points while seniors
Violeta Verano and
Mireia Aguado both got to 10.
Graduate
Alecia Westbrook, who entered the game leading the league in rebounding (7.5), will improve on that mark after pulling down nine to go along with her eight points.
A&M-Corpus Christi's defense locked down to hold HCU's N'Denasija Collins, who entered the game leading the conference in scoring (13.8 ppg), to just eight tonight.
HCU scored off the tip, before junior
Annukka Willstedt sped down for the fastbreak bucket to tie it at 2-2. The Huskies jumped to a 10-4 lead before the Islanders reversed it after McGill piggybacked off Verano's shot from deep with the inside shot for a 11-10 edge. Westbrook's free throw got A&M-Corpus Christi up 14-13 with 36 second remaining in the first, but a late field goal gave HCU the lead going into the second.
McGill got fouled on the putback and began the second-quarter surge by the Islanders. She went deep at 5:49 to put the Islanders on top 24-18. HCU would stay within four until the clock read 3:15 when Allen answered the Huskies with a three of her own as A&M-Corpus Christi's 33-26 lead only grew from there. A trio of buckets came from Aguado, and the Islanders were up 41-26 at the break.
After a slow start to the second half, Allen got the Islanders back up and running with a shot inside the paint at 7:09. Both teams stalled for a bit until HCU made the contested shot at 4:45 which was answered by the shot beyond-the-arc by junior
Jaeda Whitner who extended A&M-Corpus Christi's lead to 48-30. She sank another three at 1:35 for a 53-36 score and the Islanders headed to the fourth up 57-39.
It was all A&M-Corpus Christi in the beginning of the fourth, as Willstedt capped a quick 7-0 run with a missile from downtown. Junior
Tymberlin Criswell scored on takeaway with 6:32 to go for a 66-41 lead. Willstedt connected with McGill off the steal who got the Islanders to 70, and freshman
Andrea Montesinos drilled her first collegiate three to cap the 73-49 win for A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Islanders will now take their show on the road as they begin a three-game road stretch to continue conference play. They will first meet UIW in San Antonio Saturday at 2 p.m. Both teams posted a league-best 7-4 nonconference record.
NOTES
- It marked the first conference matchup this year among all Southland basketball squads. The Islanders move to 14-9 all-time over the Huskies and 8-3 when the teams meet in Corpus Christi.
- A&M-Corpus Christi has now won five in a row, scoring at least 70 points in the last three while also holding those opponents to under 50 points. The Islanders improve to 7-0 this year when they outrebound their opponent and score 60 or more points. They are also 8-0 when holding the opposition to under 60 points.
- The Islanders are now 7-2 at home this season, 231-150 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.
- 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 12 games of the season.
- Allen scored her season-high 15 points for her fourth double figure scoring game this year and 35
th in her career. She was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line, one shy of her career-best.
- McGill also registered her fourth double figure scoring game of the season, but 13
th in her career. She has scored at least 10 points in three of the last five games.
- Similarly, Verano turned in her fourth double digit scoring performance of the year. It was her second 10+ game in a row and 20
th in her career. It was her third time making a pair of threes in a game this season.
- Aguado submitted her fifth double figure scoring game this year, seventh in her career, and second in the last three games. She matched her career-high of six rebounds, set three other times, as well as matched her season-high of five made field goals, also set three other times.
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