TAMU-CC men’s basketball takes down UTRGV for first win on the season
Photography courtesy of Islander Athletics – TAMU-CC men’s basketball beat the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley in a 63-55 Islander win, cashing in their first win of the season.
On Sunday November 17 the TAMU-CC men’s basketball team took down the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 63-55 victory at the Islander Invitational. The game was played on the Corpus Christi Athletic Club Court at the American Bank Center. The basketball game was part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi secured three points with the win. The return game in Edinburg, Texas is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30.
The Islanders lead the all-time series between the two programs 15-9 and 8-5 in games played in Corpus Christi. TAMU-CC outrebounded UTRGV, 45-25, including a 17-7 edge in offensive boards. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had a 22-12 advantage in points in the paint, a 16-5 lead in second chance points, and led 8-4 on fast break points. UTRGV shot just 37.3 percent from the field, connecting on just 5-of-16 three-point attempts.
“I’m really happy for our guys. …we’ve played some good basketball throughout the beginning of our season with the exception of our first game. We’ve done some really good things as a team over the past few games,” said head coach Willis Wilson.
Senior guard, Jashawn Talton-Thomas scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds and picked up two assists while going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Talton-Thomas has scored in double figures in all five games this season and averaged 18.0 points in three games this weekend and 7.7 rebounds. Sunday marked the senior’s second time this season with 20+ points and the third time in his Islander career. Talton-Thomas was named to the weekend’s All-Islander Invitational Team for his play.
Senior center, Elijah Schmidt had 11 points, going 5-for-8 on his free throw attempts. He tied Talton-Thomas with a game-high nine rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. He also had three steals and a blocked shot in 30 minutes of work. “When the coaches came in at halftime. …they gave us some more specifics to focus on so we would be able to finish the second half strong,” said Schmidt.
Junior Myles Smith showed with 15 points and eight rebounds to add, with six coming on the offensive glass. He was 6-for-6 at the free throw line and finished with one assist and a steal.
Next Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will take the University of St. Thomas on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
