College basketball: Home success continues for Islanders men, women
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men and women's basketball teams were each chosen as the favorite in the Southland Conference going into this season, showing the respect the league had for the two teams after successful campaigns last year.
In Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of UIW in front of a sellout on $1 night at the Dugan Wellness Center, both teams gave glimpses of what makes them a dangerous threat to again be playing for regular season and conference tournament titles over the next three months.
Riding momentum from wins on the road in Natchitoches, Louisiana against Northwestern State, both the women and men overcame slow starts to move to 2-0 in Southland play with wins against the Cardinals.
Royce Chadwick's women's team got a typically stellar effort from senior Alecia Westbrook, who finished with a game-best 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and three blocks, an outing that shows that she is not only a strong candidate for the league's Defensive Player of the Year, but for the Southland Conference's overall Player of the Year.
Additionally, Annukka Willstedt, who was a starter to begin her freshman season last year, before a knee injury sidelined her, saw her most extensive minutes of the season, with six points in 27 minutes, adding three assists.
"We talked today that I've never had a team, where every single player played every single night," Chadwick said. "You have to be ready when your time comes. There are a lot of backup NFL quarterbacks that make millions of dollars and they've got to be ready when their time comes. That is what happened tonight.
"Annu's opportunities were there and she went out and seized them and made something happen. You have to be very proud for her."
If Willstedt can approach the form she showed before her injury, it will be another key cog for a talented, deep and experienced team that had its sights on a Southland crown last year before being upended in overtime in the conference tournament semifinals.
Makinna Serrata was limited to seven points in shortened minutes due to foul trouble but the Islanders overcame it as the team pieced together its best offensive and defensive quarter in the third, shooting 64% and holding the Cardinals to 3-of-14 shooting to build a 43-33 cushion.
The lead eventually ballooned to 14 points before UIW scrapped and pulled it back to 53-50 with 1:41 left before the Islanders held on.
A&M-Corpus Christi (7-6) moved into first place at 2-0 in Southland play ahead of Saturday's back end of a home-and-home week against UIW in San Antonio.
The Islanders men threatened to pull away before half after storming in front of UIW, and finally did in the second half, on their way to the program's biggest conference win since 2006-07, with a 91-61 thumping of the Cardinals.
Bolstered by Isaac Mushila and Terrion Murdix, the Islanders were effective inside as the duo combined for 36 points on 15 of 17 shooting. Murdix, who had a season-best 18 points in the road win at Northwestern State on Saturday, picked up where he left off with 16 points on 7 of 7 shooting, the sixth A&M-Corpus Christi player to have a perfect shooting night with at least seven field goal attempts.
With 44 points in the point, the Islanders were able to find some openings along the perimeter and Ross Williams and Trevian Tennyson exploited, connecting for eight of the team's 10 3-pointers, while A&M-Corpus Christi held the Cardinals to two makes from long range
Steve Lutz credited the team's defense along with ball movement in helping the team move to 2-0 in conference play.
"That was one of the most pleasant things we had going for us tonight," Lutz said. "I think we are goin to be able to create opportunities through our defense, but when our defense is not creating those easy baskets, now you have to go on the other end and play basketball. Not necessarily call set plays. Tonight we mostly ran motion offense and the guys took what was available to them.
"Those are things we have really been working on and preaching since we got back from Christmas."
A&M-Corpus Christi finished with 24 assists on the team's 35 field goals, including a game-best eight from Murdix.
Like the women, the Islanders men find themselves in first place going into the weekend, where they will travel to face UIW in San Antonio.
The men and women are a combined 13-1 at home this season, with the lone loss coming against the Washington State women's team, out of the Pac-12.
After Saturday's quick bus ride up to San Antonio, the squads will return for two straight home games next week, and an opportunity to build some momentum early in the conference season.
Westbrook, who became the all-time leader in defensive rebounds in the women's win on Wednesday, said it is important for the team to stay locked in against conference foes.
"We have to stay focused and locked in," Westbrook said. "Anything can happen in the Southland, and we have to make sure that we come in focused, locked in and are ready to play the game."
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: College basketball: Home success continues for Islanders men, women
