CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, taking care of Our Lady of the Lake in convincing fashion by a final of score of 72-37.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Islanders (4-3), who had previously suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of in-state opponents Baylor, UTSA and UTEP since their last win in the home opener against Sul Ross State on November 12. It was also the second year in a row that they took down the Saints, moving the all-time series between the two up to 2-0 in favor of A&M-Corpus Christi after a 77-33 victory in 2023.
After struggling offensively in each of their last three games, the Islanders turned things around in a big way on that end of the floor on Saturday, putting up their second-highest point total in a game this season while shooting a much-improved 47.1 percent from the floor. The team did the majority of its damage in the paint, attacking the interior for a whopping 58 points against just four total from OLLU on the other side. A&M-Corpus Christi also recorded 20 assists on its 33 made baskets, showcasing a willingness to make the extra pass in order to break down the zone-heavy defensive scheme deployed by the Saints.
This effort was aided by another strong performance on defense by the Islanders, who surrendered a season-low 37 points and held the Saints to just nine made field goals on 45 attempts after adjusting to some hot early shooting. Included in this was a clean sweep in the third quarter, as they prevented OLLU from sinking a single shot in the period while giving up just eight points that all came at the free throw line. This helped A&M-Corpus Christi win the frame by 13 points en route to building a commanding lead, which had been an emphasis for the team coming in after it had been outscored by 25 combined points in the third quarter of the previous three games.
Graduate
Paige Allen once again led the way for the Islanders, reaching a double-double in the first half alone and finishing her day with 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. This marked the second double-double of the season for Allen after she accomplished the first in the team's season-opening victory over Texas A&M, and it went down as the ninth of her career with the program. It was also the fourth time that the Kansas City native reached double-digit rebounds in a game this year, bringing her season average up to 9.9 per game.
Beyond Allen, the Islanders also got another great day from graduate
Nabaweeyah McGill, who recorded 14 points off the bench for the second game in a row after scoring only 13 total in the first five games of the season combined. McGill also grabbed five rebounds in her 16 minutes of action and blocked two shots, making it six of seven games this year with multiple blocks for her.
Before the action on the court got underway, the Islanders celebrated two different milestones for the program. First, Allen was presented with a commemorative ball to recognize her 1,000
th career point with the program, which she reached in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game against UTEP. Right after, two separate banners were raised into the rafters of the American Bank Center, one recognizing the team's victory in the Southland Conference Tournament last season and the other for its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Islanders will now have a full week between contests, returning back to the Dugan Wellness Center for their next game against Dallas Christian next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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