The Lamar Cardinals (9-6) will have their chance to bring down the Southland’s best team when they face the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (11-3) at Montagne Center. Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 11.
The Cardinals are hoping for a better outcome after their 93-76 loss to Central Arkansas on Saturday. Nick Garth was the team’s leading scorer, putting up 16 points. The Islanders are coming off a 77-68 win over McNeese State on Saturday. Rashawn Thomas had a good game and claimed his fourth double-double of the season, accumulating 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Thomas has been on fire for the Islanders. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks.
This has potential to be a sloppy game for the offense of Lamar, which ranks 291st in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 20.5%). The disruptive defense of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi forces the 16th-most turnovers in the nation (23.5%).
Notes
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders have a defensive rating of 97.4 (ranked 89th), while the Lamar Cardinals have an offensive rating of 107.1 (ranked 143rd).
On average, Lamar has 73.2 possessions per game and scores 1.071 points on each possession. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has both fewer possessions (70.6) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.035).
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders average an effective field goal percentage of 47.6% this season. The Lamar Cardinals have a losing record of 1-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.6% or greater.
Lamar ranks 91st in assists, registering 15.0 per game. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi performs worse at 215th with 12.9 assists per game.
Ranked fifth in the nation, Lamar averages 43.7 rebounds per game. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ranks lower at 235th with 35.7 RPG.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ranks 143rd in offensive rebounds, while Lamar ranks at 67th in defensive rebounds.
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defense has forced an average TO% of 23.5% this season (ranked 16th). In games where it gives up a TO% of 23% or greater, Lamar has a losing 1-3 record.
