LAKE CHARLES, La. – Officially kicking off its title defense, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team begins its run at the Southland Conference Championships this week, starting with a matchup against No. 5 Northwestern State in the very first game of the bracket on Monday at 11 a.m.
The eighth-seeded Islanders (15-16, 7-13 SLC) will look to recapture the magic from last year's run through the Championships, where they ended up taking home the whole thing and clinching the program's first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. This year will prove to be more of a challenge for them, however, as unlike in the last three seasons, they enter the fray without at least one bye, meaning they will have to win four games in a row to repeat as champions. The last time this was the case came back in 2019 when the team nearly pulled it off, winning three consecutive games over New Orleans, Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin before just narrowly falling to Abilene Christian in the finals by a tight score of 69-68.
As for their first matchup this week, the Islanders square off against the Lady Demons (15-14, 12-8 SLC) after doing so just one time during the regular season. The only meeting between them proved to be one of the most unique games of the season, with the two teams playing to a halftime score of just 9-8 before Northwestern State pulled away near the end and handed A&M-Corpus Christi a 46-42 loss. This defeat snapped an 11-game winning streak in the all-time series for the Islanders, which included their most recent showdown in the SLC Championships back in 2017 when they emerged victorious by a final of 57-46 to advance past the first round. They also met in the postseason in 2010, with that contest also going to A&M-Corpus Christi by a final of 74-66.
The game will be available to watch live on ESPN+. It can also be heard live for free on 1440 AM K-E-Y-S with Doug Kesterson on the call.
First Round // No. 8 A&M-Corpus Christi vs No. 5 Northwestern State
Date: Monday, March 10
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Legacy Center // Lake Charles, LA
Game Notes
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Socials:
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