The No.2-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders challenge the Sam Houston State Bearkats in the third round of the SthLnd tournament at Leonard E. Merrell Center. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on ES3.
The Islanders played well in their last game, topping Abilene Christian 74-69 in their last matchup. Hameed Ali was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The Bearkats, meanwhile, are coming off a 60-59 win against Nicholls in the 2. Torry Butler claimed his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Ali has taken his game to another level for the Islanders, averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ranks 16th in the nation, allowing just 98.1 points per 100 possessions, while Sam Houston State is 31st (102.2). Also, the Bearkats commit the eighth-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 16.7%), while the disruptive defense of the Islanders causes the second-most (opponents’ TO% of 24.1%).
The Islanders have emerged victorious in both games against the Bearkats this year, but fell short the last time these two teams met, 75-70. Rashawn Thomas had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 18 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three blocks.
Notes
Sam Houston State won its last game by a one-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is 1-0. Sam Houston State is 3-3 in close games this season.
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders have a defensive rating of 98.1 (ranked 16th), while the Sam Houston State Bearkats have an offensive rating of 107.5 (ranked 136th).
Sam Houston State has an average field goal percentage of 43.5%. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is a solid 7-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders rank higher based on their field goal percentage (196th) than their effective field goal percentage (219th). The Sam Houston State Bearkats rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (198th) than their field goal percentage (205th).
The Sam Houston State Bearkats rank 16th in assists per game, making an average of 16.8. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders are among the worst in the country with 13.0 assists per game (ranked 205th).
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the 35th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.9 per game. Sam Houston State does worse, ranked 343rd with 1.7.
Though Sam Houston State is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 19.5% (ranked 17th), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has a solid 8-3 record SU when it has a TO% of 19.5% or greater.
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