Islanders men upend McNeese to advance to second straight Southland title game
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana — It was never simple, but in the end Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won its 16th consecutive game against McNeese in Tuesday's Southland Conference Tournament semifinals.
The Islanders pulled away in the second half after the Cowboys cut it to five points early in the second half to earn an 80-63 win to advance to Wednesday's tournament championship, aiming to clinch a second straight berth in the NCAA Tournament.
De'Lazarus Keys led the Islanders with 18 points, Terrion Murdix added 17 points and Trevian Tennyson scored 16 points as A&M-Corpus Christi scored 17 points off turnovers, despite struggles in the paint.
A&M-Corpus Christi went to the line 12 times in the second half, helping the Islanders break the game open against the shorthanded Cowboys, who played seven players and were playing their third game in three days as the tournament's No. 8 seed.
"It was a hard fought ballgame," Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz said. "I thought McNeese did an exceptional job rebounding the basketball. They were very physical, very tough. They gave us everything we could handle. We'll have some banged up guys tonight.
"At the end of the day we executed enough down the stretch to win the game. We'll take it. We're excited to go back to the championship game tomorrow and have a chance to go back to the NCAA Tournament."
McNeese had a 44-38 advantage on the boards, led by All-Southland Conference player Christian Shumate, who scored 30 points and 15 rebounds.
Keys pulled down 10 rebounds to go with his 18 points to lead the Islanders and as Isaac Mushila struggled at times underneath and only got to the free throw line once, Keys was a big factor.
"Isaac is a first-team all-conference player and we are going to get the basketball to our best players," Lutz said. "We run sets and actions to get Trey shots and we run sets and actions to get Terrion downhill. The same with Isaac and Laz. Laz Keys was phenomenal tonight.
"Isaac got off to a slow start and got hit in the head and gets three or four stitches. De'Lazarus Keys saved our butts tonight."
Mushila took a shot to the face late in the first half while battling for a rebound and came up with blood over his left eye, causing him to miss some time in the game receiving, before returning and finishing with five points and six rebounds.
Late in the contest, Murdix and Keys were also hobbled and left the floor.
Guard Jalen Jackson said the fresh legs were a factor for the Islanders.
"They kicked our butt on the glass, and that was the main goal going in — to make sure we box out and rebound," Jackson said. "They did a great job of getting to the boards. We came together and wanted to fight and win. Those guys had played two games already. We had to outrun them and use our fresh legs to get the win."
The Islanders will face the winner of No. 2 seed Northwestern State and No. 7 seed New Orleans at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Turning point
After Shumate pulled McNeese within 42-36, Murdix scored six points in 1:43 by knifing into the lane and scoring in transition, Jalen Jackson was able to get inside as well and Simeon Fryer had a putback to get the game back to double-digits.
After missing numerous looks inside of eight feet in the first half, A&M-Corpus Christi finished with a 48-30 edge in the paint, but Lutz credited taking care of the ball as the key factor, especially on a night when the Islanders were beaten on the glass and sent their opponent to the line 24 times.
"We played fast in the league and our goal is to always play in transition," Lutz said. "Our goal is to create offense out of our defense. That was the difference in the game. We turned them over 17 times. Any time you give up 21 (offensive) rebounds, you are putting yourself in a tough spot on the other end of the floor. You have to be better somewhere and it was taking care of the ball."
What the players said
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Trevian Tennyson on the team's success: "Everything we practice translates to the game. We practice sharing the ball every day. He yells at everyone for taking bad shots, even in practice. We pretty much don't take bad shots. Everything is pretty much assisted. That helps us play together."
What the coaches said
McNeese head coach John Aiken on the difference in the game: "They bothered us with their physicality. We had to go to dribble entry stuff. We made a run at them, but couldn't get consecutive stops. They wore us down. We were the physically dominating team the first two nights, tonight they were.
"We got sped up by Jalen and Terrion. They have two point guards on the floor at all times. That is what they are, point guards. That is why they are so good."
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz: "If we can play our game and we can minimize our mistakes, then we are going to give ourselves an opportunity to win most nights, but in the back of our mind we know this is their third game in three nights. Last year we won three games in three nights to get to the NCAA Tournament. You can't overthink those things. At the end of the day you have to have good players and you have to make big plays. Our guys did that down the stretch."
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Islanders men upend McNeese to advance to Southland title game
