COMMERCE, Texas – It was a low scoring affair Monday night as a defensive battle ensued from start to finish and it was the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team that put together enough of an offense to earn the win over East Texas A&M 61-50.
Both teams were tainted with turnovers tonight with nearly 30 between the two to keep the overall scoring to a minimum. As a team, the Islanders shot 42.9% from the field but held East Texas A&M to 32.7% shooting and limited the Lions to 1-of-20 from beyond the arc. The Islanders also won the battle on the glass tonight with a 39-35 rebounding edge.
The Islanders improve to 6-0 this season when holding their opponents to under 60 points. The program remains undefeated when doing so over the last five seasons, improving to 33-0 overall and 16-0 in conference play since the 2021-22 season.
Franck Yetna scored inside off the opening tip at 19:46 to give the Islanders the first basket and while East Texas A&M answered moments later,
Mason Gibson knocked down a triple at 18:33 to put the Islanders back in front. The teams traded rare baskets through those early minutes before the Lions briefly pulled ahead at the 15:26 mark. The Islanders responded with
Leo Torbor attacking the lane for back-to-back baskets, trimming the deficit and swinging momentum back to the visitors.
Gibson added another jumper off a turnover at 12:01, keeping the Islanders ahead 15-12. The lead grew to five when
Nick Shogbonyo hit another jumper at 10:56. East Texas A&M stayed close, but
Sheldon Williams tipped in a basket at 5:47 and
Bryson Wheatfall followed with a putback at 6:45 to help A&M-Corpus Christi hold a 33-29 lead at the break.
A&M-Corpus Christi opened the second half with Torbor scoring on a short jumper at 18:46, then Gibson connected on a turnaround jumper to keep the Islanders in front. DA Houston knocked down a three at 15:25 to push the lead to five, and Shogbonyo followed with free throws at 14:24 to make it a seven-point game. East Texas A&M continued to chip away, cutting the lead to three at 10:40, but could not fully close the gap.
With just under seven minutes to play, Williams scored off a turnover at 7:09 to give the Islanders a 47-40 cushion. After the Lions pulled within five again, Gibson delivered by a step-back long-range shot at 5:31 to extend the lead to eight. Down the stretch, Williams tipped in another basket at 1:48 to push the lead back to eight and the biggest lead came in the final minute which helped the Islanders secure the 61-50 road win.
Shogbonyo led Texas A&M–Corpus Christi with 16 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line to go with six rebounds and five assists. Williams was efficient inside, finishing 4-of-4 from the field for nine points and pulling down eight rebounds. Yetna added eight points and five rebounds, while Torbor also chipped in eight points.
Mason Gibson scored 10 points with the help of two threes.
After a four-game road swing, the Islanders will finally return home for five of their next six contents. It begins this weekend when they host Southeastern Saturday and McNeese Monday back at the Hilliard Center.
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