STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball mounted a strong second-half rally but couldn't overcome a large first-half deficit, falling 85–77 to Tarleton State on Saturday night at the EECU Center.
A&M-Corpus Christi (1-2) finished with a 43.1% field goal percentage and shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc but couldn't erase the early hole created by the free-throw margin.
After trailing by 19 at the break, the Islanders caught fire in the second half, outscoring the Texans (1-2) 49–38 and shooting nearly 49% from the floor. However, Tarleton made 29 of 37 free throws compared to A&M-Corpus Christi's 18 of 29 which ended as a difference that loomed large as the Islanders clawed within single digits late in the game.
Senior
Sheldon Williams led the Islanders with a career-high 21 points along with 11 rebounds, dominating the paint for his second-ever career double-double. Graduate
Mason Gibson added 14 points, fueled by four three-pointers, while
D'Avian Houston and
Kobi Pearson also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Williams is the first Islander to record a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double since
Garry Clark (22pts/11rebs) did it against HCU on March 9, 2025 in the SLC Tournament first round.
Tarleton used a fast start to its advantage, opening the game on an 11–0 run and building a 47–28 halftime lead. The Texans scored 19 of their first-half points from the line, while the Islanders battled through 17 fouls and just a 34.7 percent shooting performance.
Momentum swung after halftime as A&M-Corpus Christi tightened its defense and found rhythm offensively. Gibson drilled a long-range shot to start the period, and Williams followed Gibson's second of the half with a three of his own to narrow the gap at 58-49. Back-to-back layups from Williams kept the Islanders within double digits with under two minutes to play but the Texans held on by converting at the line down the stretch.
The Islanders will have a short two-day break before heading to #19 Kansas on Tuesday before meeting with a familiar face as they will face former head coach Steve Lutz now with Oklahoma State on Nov. 16 in Stillwater.
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