SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team opened its season tonight as they traveled on the road to face Texas State. After a slow start, the Islanders played level with the Bobcats but were unable to make up the ground and fell 67-55.
The Islanders hit the road to face the new PAC-12 opponents in Texas State to start their 2026-27 campaign. Ten Islanders played their first minutes in a Corpus Christi uniform tonight as they made their debut.
The home side jumped out to a 12-0 lead, forcing an early Corpus Christi timeout. The streak was broken by
Damarion Winston three and a half minutes into the game. It was just one of the three makes for the Islanders from beyond the line as they finished 3-of-17 for the game. They were able to slowly chip away and work the deficit back into single digits as Texas State led 35-26 at the half.
"Some first game jitters a little bit to start out the game down 12-0 in the first four minutes," said head coach
Jim Shaw. "We battled back and got within striking distance with six minutes to go. Just six assists to 15 turnovers so we need to have some better guard play and play better as a team."
The Islanders shot 42.3 percent from the field in the first half, 11-of-26 overall. They were led by
Dan Mukuna and
Desmond Kent Jr., who each had six points in the first 20 minutes of play. Mukuna was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and added four rebounds at the break.
Head Coach
Jim Shaw went to his second unit early in the second half and was rewarded as they were able to cut the Bobcats' lead to seven points. The Islanders got in the bonus just six and a half minutes into the second half and looked like they would be able to live at the line, but the calls swung the other way the next handful of possessions down the floor, and the home side ended up outshooting TAMUCC 13-11 from the line in the half.
Daniel Michelini-Jackson had seven of his ten points in the second half, while Kent Jr. ended with a team-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Islanders shot 40 percent in the second half, but were just 1-of-9 from three. They could never get the deficit under seven points, as the home side always had an answer to push the lead back to double digits.
Outside of the first four minutes, the game was even as each side scored 30 points in the paint. The Islanders' second unit dominated the Bobcats' bench, outscoring them 37-15 in the game.
Khi Wallace was one of the bright spots off the bench, finishing with eight points and four rebounds, and
CJ Worsham added nine points and four boards.
The Islanders are back in action on Friday night at Louisiana, with each side looking for their first win after the Ragin Cajuns fell at home to Akron 75-61 tonight. Watch the full post game from head coach
Jim Shaw below,
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For the latest news and information on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball, visit the official website for Islanders Athletics at goislanders.com. Fans can also follow the Islanders on social media at @Islanders_MBB (Twitter), and @islandersmbb (Instagram).
