HAMMOND, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team built an early cushion, withstood a second-half surge and made the plays late to secure a 73-68 conference victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Monday night at the University Center.
The Islanders (15-14, 11-9 SLC) shot 54 percent from the field including going 4-of-8 (.500) from three and leaned on timely buckets in the paint to hold off the Lions (8-21, 5-15 SLC). They also won the rebounding game 32-26.
The program is 6-2 on the year when shooting above .500. Over the last five years, the Islanders are 44-3 (20-2 SLC) when shooting that high of a mark. Additionally, they improve to 15-3 on the season when outrebounding their opponent.
It completes the regular season road slate for the Islanders, who finished with a 7-4 advantage when playing away in conference play this year. With two conference games remaining in the regular season, A&M-Corpus Christi had already secured their spot in the SLC Tournament entering the game but tonight's results help them continue battling for optimal seeding.
A&M-Corpus Christi wasted little time erasing an early 3-0 deficit, answering with a 9-0 burst as D'Avian scored the first seven points with back-to-back drives and a fast-break three at 18:27 that pushed the Islanders ahead 7-3.
Cenker Evran added a layup at 17:32, and
Nick Shogbonyo attacked the rim at 16:40 to cap an 11-2 run and make it 11-3.
The Islanders continued to dictate tempo, scoring 13 fast-break points in the first half. A second-chance three by
Mason Gibson at 10:33 extended the lead to 19-15, and Shogbonyo's three-point play in transition at 9:52 made it 22-15.
Southeastern chipped away midway through the half, trimming the margin to three on multiple occasions but Evran knocked down two free throws at 2:03 for a 35-30 edge and
Franck Yetna converted off a steal at 1:47. Shogbonyo punctuated the half with a steal and breakaway dunk at 1:22, completing a three-point play for a 40-30 advantage.
The Lions made their push in the second half, hitting jumper at 5:02 to tie the game at 60. Houston responded calmly at the line, sinking two free throws at 4:27 to restore a 62-60 edge.
Sheldon Williams followed with a second-chance tip-in at 3:56, and Evran converted a pair of free throws at 3:02 to stretch the margin to 66-60 and the Islanders ultimately fended off the Lions for the final advantage.
A trio of Islanders put up 14 points to spread the offensive attack. Evran put up 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added four rebounds. Houston also scored 14, including a 2-of-2 mark from three-point range, while Shogbonyo contributed 14 points and two steals. Williams added 11 points and five rebounds, and Gibson chipped in nine.
With a conference tournament berth secured, A&M-Corpus Christi will look to carry its momentum home into the final two regular-season games as it aims to solidify its postseason positioning.
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