BEAUMONT, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team put up a valiant fight to the very end against the top seeded Lamar in its final road game of the regular season but came up narrowly short in a 68-63 decision Saturday in Nueces Arena.
Despite A&M-Corpus Christi (18-8, 7-4 SLC) taking an early five-point lead in the first quarter, Lamar (20-5, 14-1 SLC) managed to come back and take a sizable lead at the break. Though, the Islanders took a fast approach down to the last minute of the game, narrowing the trail to just five points after being down by as much as 19 points but the rally came up short as the Cardinals held on just enough to escape.
Three Islanders scored in double digits with seniors
Alecia Westbrook and
Mireia Aguado leading the team with 14 points each and senior
Paige Allen close behind at 13 points. Westbrook showcased her defensive skills by also grabbing seven rebounds and swatting two blocks.
The Islanders jumped quick as Allen scored off the tip for an early 2-0 lead. The inside shot by Westbrook made it a 7-2 game as Lamar was held to just one made bucket four minutes into the game until they came back to reverse the score with a 13-11 lead. Though, junior
Jaeda Whitner let it fly from beyond the arc to push the Islanders back ahead at 1:47 before Lamar closed the first on an 8-0 run.
Back-to-back fastbreak lay-ins from junior
Tymberlin Criswell got the Islanders within 22-19 before the contested three-point shot from senior
Sasha Shishkina sent her to the stripe for the four-play and 23-22 lead with 6:32 remaining in the half. The momentum once again shifted however, and the Cardinals fought back and took a 23-36 lead going into the break.
In the third, Aguado quickly made a responsive lay-in looking to fire the Islanders back up but the Cardinals would push up to a 44-25 lead at 7:16. A&M-Corpus Christi wasn't out of the fight yet, and Westbrook got the final bucket of the quarter as the team trailed 51-38 heading into the final 10 minutes.
The islanders carried the fight into the fourth, with the game ultimately coming down to the last 90 seconds. Down 15, Aguado scored on the crucial takeaway, drawing the and-one in the process. Allen connected at the rim as the Islanders trailed 67-55 before Aguado once again converted on the takeaway with another and-one opportunity with under 40 seconds to play. Westbrook then pressured for the steal and got it to Allen who immediately scored to get within seven with nine seconds to go. A last possession three-pointer from Allen trimmed it again to within five, but time ran up as Lamar was saved by the buzzer.
The Islanders will return home for their final three games of the regular season before gearing up for the SLC Tournament, set for March 11-14 in Lake Charles, La.
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