SAN ANTONIO, Texas – After securing a win in the conference opener at home, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team will hit the road for its next three games beginning at UIW Saturday at 2 p.m. in the McDermott Center.
It will be the second conference game for the Islanders (8-4) for opening week of the SLC schedule and first on the road after opening league play at home with a bang, toppling HCU 73-49 on Wednesday. The final +24 advantage marked the largest margin of victory for the Islanders in their conference opener since joining the Southland in 2006-07.
Senior
Paige Allen began Southland play with an impressive 15-point, nine-rebound performance against the Huskies. She is one of eight Islanders averaging over 5.0 ppg this season while graduate
Alecia Westbrook leads it with 9.9 ppg.
A&M-Corpus Christi has 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 are 7-0 this year when they outrebound their opponent and score 60+ points. They are also 8-0 when holding the opposition to under 60 points.
Westbrook is leading the conference in defensive rebounding with 5.8 drpg. Junior
Nabaweeyah McGill also ranks atop the standings with 1.8 blocks per game. Westbrook is also 2nd in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and 4th in steals (1.9 spg). Junior
Jaeda Whitner is 2nd in 3FG% (.425) and junior
Tymberlin Criswell is 3rd in steals (1.9 spg)
The Islanders lead the Southland Conference in scoring margin (+12.3), FG% defense (.343), 3FG% defense (.256), rebounding (40.1 rpg), assist/turnover ratio (1.01), blocked shots (4.58 bpg), assists (15.17 apg), and steals (11.83 spg).
The team averages 66.8 points per game, with 31.6 coming from off the bench. The team's bench points per game average ranks them 10th in the NCAA. A&M-Corpus Christi also ranks 17th nationally in FG% defense, 19th in steals per game, and 24th in free throw attempts per game (22.33).
UIW (7-5) is coming off a tough loss to Lamar in its SLC opener after not being able to net a field goal in the fourth quarter. Though, the Cardinals edge the Islanders in scoring defense at the top of the SLC rankings, holding opponents to just 54.4 points per game.
The game can be watched live with a subscription to ESPN+. It can also be heard live for free on 1440 AM K-E-Y-S with Doug Kesterson on the call.
NOTES
- A&M-Corpus Christi is 19-2 all-time against UIW and 9-2 when the teams play in San Antonio. The Islanders have won nine of the last 10 meetings, last dropping to the Cardinals in 2019.
- It will be the first road SLC game for the Islanders this year after opening the conference slate with a dominate 73-49 win over HCU at home. Last season, they posted their best road SLC record in program history with an 8-1 mark since joining the league in 2006.
- The Islanders are on a journey to defend their regular season title after winning it in 2022-23 with a 14-4 conference record. It was the second championship in four seasons, and it earned A&M-Corpus Christi an automatic bid to the WNIT for the program's third ever postseason appearance and first since 2009-10 when it went to the Women's Basketball Invitational.
- 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.
- Westbrook is the sixth active player in the NCAA to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Her total (1,013) comes right behind Angel Reese's (LSU) 1,108. She also finds her name in the active career leader list in free throw attempts (8th, 626), free throws made (8th, 469), and double-doubles (13th, 36).
- A&M-Corpus Christi was picked second in the SLC Preseason Poll, coming in behind Southeastern (159) with 140 points. The Islanders received three first-place votes. Westbrook and Allen were both tabbed to Preseason All-Conference teams.
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