TAMU-CC women’s basketball defeats UTRGV
Photo courtesy of Islander Athletics – Senior Emma Young drives the ball down the court during the 3rd quarter of play, the lady Islanders win 61-50 over UTRGV.
On Saturday, November 23 the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi women’s basketball team returned home and defeated UTRGV, 61-50, in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union, inside the Dugan Wellness Center. The Islanders converted on 15-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe, good for 83.3-percent, along with the defense forcing 13 turnovers on nine steals. With the win the lady Islanders improve to 3-2 on the season, while the Vaqueros fall to 2-3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi improves its all-time record over UTRGV to 24-13.
Entering halftime with just a four-point lead, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi outscored the Vaqueros, 15-7 in the third frame to stretch their lead to 11. Senior guard Dalesia Booth led the Islander offense with 20 points. She also collected five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. With her 20-point performance Booth is now at 983 career points, just 17 short of 1,000. “I think we took this win more personal especially since it’s a rivalry. …and we’re playing on our own court. This motivation was needed to step up and get the win,” said star player Booth.
Alexes Bryant recorded her third consecutive double-digit scoring performance, scoring 12 points. Sophomore standout Makinna Serrata rounded out the double figure scoring for the Islanders with 10 points overall. The lady Islanders won the battle of the boards, grabbing 40 rebounds compared to UTRGV’s 33. Emma Young led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the glass with eight rebounds. With seven defensive rebounds, Young moved into the No. 8 slot for most career rebounds in program history at 355.
Saturday’s win also marks Head Coach Royce Chadwick’s 100th win on the Island. He is the only coach in the history of the program to reach the historic mark. “I think this win is a carry over from the preseason NIT. …it gives us an opportunity to head into hostile arenas against some really good teams and match their intensity. I think the lesson that we learned from the preseason NIT brought the intensity that we needed to match that of Rio Grande Valley,” said Chadwick.
