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Islanders dominate UTRGV from start-to-finish

Texas A&M-CC lead from the jump Thursday in a 97-75 win over the Vaqueros.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Graduate Ross Williams notched 24 points in a wire-to-wire 97-75 victory for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program over UTRGV on Thursday in the American Bank Center as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union. 

The Islanders (3-1) led by double-figures for the final 19:20 of the game. 

Williams came off the bench to go 7-for-15 from the field and 6-for-11 from the three-point line to tally a season-high. He was one of two Islanders to reach at least 20 points as senior Trevian Tennyson netted a season-high 20 and was 7-of-10 from the field.

Despite UTRGV (2-2) shooting .650 from the floor, the Islanders recorded 30 more shot attempts. A&M-Corpus Christi forced 25 turnovers and only committed nine. The Islanders were also 18-of-20 (.900) from the free throw line. 

Also in double-figures for A&M-Corpus Christi was senior Terrion Murdix with 13 points, six assists and four steals. Senior Isaac Mushila, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week winner, finished with five points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. 

The Islanders pulled down 14 offensive rebounds compared to UTRGV's five. It led to a big 24-4 advantage in second chance points. 

The Vaqueros were paced by Will Johnston's 19 points. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range. Dima Zdor ended with 15 points. 

A&M-Corpus Christi jumped on UTRGV early and led 9-3 after a lay-in by Mushila. A three-pointer by Williams extended it to 21-11 at the 13:20 mark. 

The Islanders were up 28-13 after a second chance bucket by Mushila with 10:02 left. Another three by Williams made it 42-26 with 3:01 remaining. 

The Vaqueros ended the half on a 10-3 spurt but still trailed 47-38 at the intermission. 

After a three by Tennyson pushed the edge back up to 50-39, the lead never dropped below double-figures in the final 19:20. Baskets by Tennyson and Williams catapulted A&M-Corpus Christi ahead 56-39 with 16:56 to go. 

A fast break bucket by Tennyson made it 68-48 with 12:17 left. A second chance lay-up by senior Simeon Fryer upped it to 78-56 at the 6:51 mark. 

Up next, the Islanders will head to El Paso, Texas for a three-game tournament. They'll tip it off Tuesday at 5 p.m. (CT) against CSU Bakersfield.

 

NOTES

- A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 19-11 all-time against UTRGV and won its third in a row in the series after sweeping both games last year. The last time either team won by at least 20 in the series was Nov. 16, 2016 when the Islanders won 94-72 on the road. 

- The Islanders are now 3-0 at home this year with all wins by at least 18 points. A&M-Corpus Christi is 214-106 all-time at home and 142-77 in the American Bank Center. 

- Williams increased his season-high from 15 against Trinity. He also set season-highs in field goals made (7) and three-pointers made (6). 

- Tennyson recorded his 22nd career double-figure scoring game and second this year. It was also his fourth double-digit 20-plus scoring outing. He was three shy of his career-high of 23 points set against Nicholls in the SLC Preseason Tournament on Jan. 7, 2022. 

- Murdix tallied his 19th career double-figure scoring game and second this year. He entered the game ranked third in the conference in steals (3.3 spg) and grabbed four. 

- Junior Jasman Sangha scored a season-high eight points off the bench. 

- A&M-Corpus Christi was coming off a celebratory night Monday where it honored the team with its 2022 Southland Conference Tournament championship rings. The Islanders also raised both the 2022 SLC Tournament championship banner and NCAA Tournament banner in the American Bank Center. A&M-Corpus Christi went on to defeat Trinity 91-73. 

- A&M-Corpus Christi continues to receive votes in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. They are the only team from the Southland Conference represented.

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