CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team picked up its second consecutive win on Saturday afternoon, cruising to an 81-28 victory over Dallas Christian in the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
The Islanders (5-3) came into play on Saturday ranked second in all of Division I women's basketball in field goal percentage allowed on defense this season, and their effort on that end carried them once again, as they held the Crusaders (3-8) to just seven made field goals in 51 attempts for a miniscule mark of just 13.7 percent. Included in this was a masterful performance late in the game, where they allowed one made bucket from the field in third quarter and none in the fourth on their way to just a 12-point half in total.
This performance tied the second-fewest points allowed by A&M-Corpus Christi in any half in program history, behind only the 10 it surrendered in the first half against Utah Valley State on March 3, 2005. It was also the second time in as many games that the team pitched a shutout from the field in a quarter, also doing so in the third period last week against Our Lady of the Lake.
In contrast to what the final score would indicate, Saturday's game started out as a close one, with the Islanders holding just a four-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. The hosts came out of the gates strong, jumping out to an 11-3 lead on the strength of a pair of baskets by graduate
Nabaweeyah McGill and a made three-pointer from senior
Jaeda Whitner, but Dallas Christian responded with a 7-2 run of their own soon after to keep things close.
This trend did not continue, however, as the Islanders started to really turn the screws on the defensive end once the second quarter started. After five quick points from Dallas Christian, A&M-Corpus Christi did not allow another made basket until the 2:53 mark, a span that lasted five minutes and 17 second of game action. This stifling effort allowed the Islanders to finally get rolling on offense, exploding for 27 points of their own in the period led by six from freshman
Torie Sevier and five from senior
Annukka Willstedt.
The break at halftime did not slow down the Islanders attack either, with the team scoring the first seven points out of the break to cap off an 18-0 run dating back to the end of the second quarter. This extended A&M-Corpus Christi's lead up to 31, and it would continue to climb from there, eventually settling at 53 at the final buzzer in what currently sits at the largest advantage held by the team at any point of their eight games this year.
The Islanders shared the love on offense on Saturday, as seven different players managed to get on the scoreboard with at least seven points. This effort was spearheaded by Whitner, who poured in a team-high 12 on 4-7 shooting from downtown, and behind her was graduate
Mireia Aguado with 10 as the only other player in double figures.
The rebounding totals also went the way of A&M-Corpus Christi, who grabbed 62 boards against Dallas Christian's 26 for a margin of +36, the second best of the season to date. Two different Islanders managed to grab double-digit rebounds, with graduate
Paige Allen securing a season-high 13 and junior
Monae' Duffy coming in with 10 of her own.
The Islanders will now shift their focus to their Southland Conference opener next week, hosting Stephen F. Austin at the Dugan Wellness Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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