SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team finalized an undefeated opening week of 2024-25 with another road victory, this time going into San Marcos and beating Texas State 62-57 Saturday in Strahan Arena.
It moves A&M-Corpus Christi to 2-0, the program's first 2-0 start since the 2018-19 season. However, it is the first time since 2009-10 that the Islanders saw the 2-0 start come against Division I programs when they defeated Air Force and Alabama to open that year.
In similar fashion, this year also reflected that 2009-10 start as it includes a win over a Power Five program after the Islanders topped Texas A&M this past Monday.
Today's score was nearly identical to Monday's game against the Aggies (62-56), as the Islanders powered another game shooting above 40.0 percent of the field after going 25-of-61 (41.0 percent) while holding the Bobcats to just a 25.8 percent day.
It got started fast with the early bucket from junior
Bruna Anguera off the first possession. The Islanders didn't slow down and got up 16-4 off an unanswered 10-point scoring run as junior
Samora Watson laid it in at 2:40 to force a Texas State timeout.
The Islanders stayed out in front by double digits into the second quarter following the three-ball from graduate
Paige Allen before she completed the grab-and-go with the steal at 5:24 to push it to 32-18. Consecutive and-one opportunities drawn by seniors
Jaeda Whitner and
Tymberlin Criswell kept the 14-point cushion before Texas State rattled off a scoring run of their own to cut within six by the half at 38-32.
The third quarter saw just 10 points in total between the two teams, with the Islanders fortunately accounting for seven of them in the slowed down period off inside shots from senior
Annukka Willstedt and junior
Monae' Duffy.
With the 45-35 lead heading into the final stretch, the Islanders built to a 15-point lead following the long-range missile from Willstedt with seven minutes to play. The Bobcats began to chip into the comfortable cushion A&M-Corpus Christi had established, making it a two possession game before graduate
Mireia Aguado drove on the fastbreak at 2:04 to keep a 57-49 advantage. The remainder of the game seemed to be played from the charity strip and although the Islanders had free throw woes today, they still held on for the final victory.
While neither team could get too hot from distance, the Islanders were able to pick it up in the paint where they outscored Texas State by 20 (36-16).
Allen and Aguado produced for the second time already this season, both finishing in double figures much like in the season opener. Allen led the way with 15 points and neared her second-straight double-double with nine rebounds. Aguado turned in 13 points and made five of them down the stretch to help the Islanders hang on for the victory.
It is Allen's 53
rd career double figure scoring game and Aguado's 24
th. Aguado ended the 2023-24 season on a six-game streak of scoring 10+ points, extending that run to eight games now with the start of 2024-25.
Aguado also dished out seven assists, the fourth time in her career she recorded 5+ assists. She holds the program game record of assists in a game with 12 which she set last season.
It marks A&M-Corpus Christi's eighth ever win over the Bobcats but it is the third time in a row that they bested Texas State after also winning the matchups in 2023-24 and 2022-23. It is the first time in the all-time series the Islanders have taken three consecutive games from Texas State.
They also handed Texas State its first home opening loss since 2003.
The Islanders will now look to bring the show back to their home court, welcoming Sul Ross State to the Dugan Wellness Center for their own home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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