CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In front of an animated Hilliard Center crowd and a national CBS Sports audience, the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi men's basketball nearly erased a double digit second-half deficit but ran out of time in a 71–69 loss to UIW on Monday night, presented by AutoNation Chevrolet.
The Islanders shot 45 percent from the field and poured in 43 second-half points after trailing by six at the break, even tying the contest with under three seconds to go after playing from behind most of the night. However, Davion Bailey's 36 points powered UIW all game and a last second foul call sent the Cardinals to the line to take the two-point margin edge as the Islanders' comeback was cut short by the clock.
A&M–Corpus Christi opened the night trading stops and early buckets, with
Nick Shogbonyo getting the Islanders on the board at the 19:02 mark.
Mason Gibson followed with a layup and later added a triple to keep it close as the teams went back and forth through the opening minutes.
UIW found space and pushed its lead to eight midway through the first half, but the Islanders responded as
Bryson Wheatfall finished a dunk off a turnover at 4:35, cutting the margin to two and bringing the crowd to its feet. Late in the half,
Leo Torbor sparked a run with back-to-back steals, and
Sheldon Williams tied the game at 24 on a tip-in with 2:36 left. UIW answered with a late surge to take the six-point lead into halftime.
Out of the break, the Islanders came out aggressive with Gibson scoring on a floater turned and-one just 46 seconds in, trimming the deficit to three. Williams added a fast-break finish at 14:09, then completed the three-point play to pull A&M–Corpus Christi within two at 35–37. The gap stayed tight as UIW maintained an edge but Gibson knocked down another tre at the 10:41 mark to make it 46–44, and moments later hit another jumper to keep it a two-point game.
Down the stretch, Torbor scored inside at 8:10 to make it a five-point game, and the Islanders forced multiple late stops. Transition plays kept the Islanders in the game and the driving layup by DA Houston tied it at 69-69 but UIW held on at the line in those final seconds which gave them the edge as time expired.
Gibson led A&M–Corpus Christi with 19 points, while Williams posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. Shogbonyo added nine points, and Wheatfall chipped in eight as the Islanders finished with 21 bench points.
The Islanders will hit the road now, heading to rematch Nicholls and New Orleans next weekend. A&M-Corpus Christi is 5-2 on the road through the conference slate.
#ShakasUp
