College basketball: Islanders men, women looking for improvement in Southland play
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi basketball teams enter Southland Conference play this week with numerous similarities, as they hit the road for Natchitoches, Louisiana to face Northwestern State on Friday and Saturday.
Each installed as the league favorite, neither the men nor women have played as consistently as they would have liked early in the season with the number of returning players each squad boasted.
The Islanders men and women have continued their home dominance this season, but have not been able to carry that over to road and neutral site games.
The men are still unbeaten at home this season (5-0), while the women lost their first home game in two seasons in December against Pac-12 opponent Washington State.
The goals are still on the table for both the men and the women, because the season will ultimately come down to how well the team's position themselves for the Southland Conference tournament in Lake Charles this March, and how well they play when they get there.
Combining the men and the women, the conference features just three teams that go into league play with a winning mark, one of which is the Islanders men (7-6).
Every women's team in the Southland has at least five losses, meaning the league could be wide open for the favored Islanders women to make another run at the regular season and tournament crown, and accompanying NCAA Tournament bid.
Royce Chadwick's team has been paced by preseason All-Southland selections Makinna Serrata (10.8 points) and Alecia Westbrook (9 points, 9.2 rebounds) along with Violeta Verano (7.3 points, 3.4 assists).
Where the Islanders women (5-6) have been known to maneuver the starting lineup in the past, four of the five starters have been consistent this season. Including Spanish freshman Bruna Anguera, the foursome has started all 11 games.
Despite their winning record, since a three-game win streak early in the season, the Islanders men have not posted consecutive wins since mid-November.
The Islanders have been dominant at home with five wins, all by at least 14 points, but are 0-5 on the road, losing by an average of 18 points, albeit against high caliber competition, including Mississippi State, Arizona and Oklahoma State.
Steve Lutz's squad has four players averaging double-figures, led by Isaac Mushila (14.2 points, 9.5 rebounds), who is also one of the nation's best rebounders.
Graduate transfer Ross Williams has emerged as a key deep threat off the bench, shooting 43.8% from range this season, joining Trevian Tennyson.
A season after going a program-best 11-3 in non-conference play, the Islanders enter Southland play 7-6, one of two teams with a winning record, including Saturday's opponent Northwestern State, now considered by many the favorite to win the conference.
The Demons have been buoyed by the addition of Demarcus Sharp, a transfer from Missouri State, own a win against TCU and have close losses to Baylor and Texas A&M, but come into league play on a three-game slide.
After holding a conference preseason tournament in 2021-22, the league has returned to a traditional scheduling format this season with 18 conference games, as the league has grown back to 10 teams with the addition of Texas A&M-Commerce and return of Lamar.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Islanders men, women looking for improvement in Southland play
