CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball honored senior Giana Wright on senior night as Sam Houston dampened the celebrations with a big second half to hand the Islanders a 64-47 decision in the home finale Wednesday night at the Dugan Wellness Center.
Wright impressed on senior night, earning the start and combining with Paige Allen to tally half of the Islanders' first-quarter points in a tightly-contested opening half. The senior finished the night with a stat line of six points, four rebounds, and two assists in her final appearance at the Dugan.
Alecia Westbrook and Allen both amassed a team-high 10 points and rounded out the top scorers for the blue and green.
The Islanders saw their best offensive production in the first, as a Hayle Campbell layup and two free throw makes from Allen put the home team ahead 4-0 and eventually grew to 8-4 after Wright drove in a layup.
Sam Houston wagered its own push to claim its biggest lead of the quarter thanks to a Kaylee Jefferson jumper that made it 15-12, but the Islanders recorded the next four to swap leads before a Bearkat steal and layup from Amber Leggett reversed it once again to end the first.
A see-saw battle continued in the second period, as the duo of Allen and Wright scored the Islanders opening six points of the quarter to put them back in front with 6:01 remaining in the half. However, the Islanders went cold from the floor and failed to score for the final two minutes of the half to allow Sam Houston to ride a six-point, 34-28 edge into halftime.
It was all Bearkats in the second, as the visitors outscored the Islanders by a 30-19 margin over the remaining two periods and saw their lead expand to as many as 20 points by the fourth.
Leggett and Madelyn Batista paced Sam Houston with 17 points apiece in the road win.
A&M-Corpus Christi meets Houston Baptist for the second time in a week in the regular-season road finale on Saturday, March 6 slated for a 2 p.m. tipoff. If the Islanders beat HBU Saturday, they will clinch a spot in the Southland Women's Basketball Tournament.