CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – HBU women's basketball shot a season-high 53 percent from the floor against Division I opponents, hit seven 3-pointers, and used a decisive third quarter to defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 73-59, Wednesday evening from the Dugan Wellness Center.
Rachel Arthur was one of four Huskies (10-10 overall, 5-5 SLC) in double figures, as she finished with a team-high 16 points. She also had five assists, three rebounds, and one assist in all 40 minutes.
Anna Strickland posted her 16th double-double of the season – and nearly registered a triple-double – as she had 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, the latter stat one shy of her career high.
Heidi Sihvola also scored 13 points as she went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, which were the most long balls since she hit a career-high four against Trinity last December.
Monet Neal chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds. The Huskies as a team had 21 assists, the most against a Division I opponent this season.
Mykayla Flores led TAMUCC (6-15, 3-7) with 17 points, thanks in large part to going 11-for-12 from the free throw line. Brittany Mbamalu, the team's leading scorer, finished with nine. The Islanders shot 33 percent from the floor in the game.
HBU scored seven of the game's first nine points – five by Neal – to take a 7-2 lead. But Neal was whistled for her second foul only three minutes into the contest and sat the remainder of the half. The Islanders cut the deficit to one, but Arthur's layup gave HBU a three-point advantage, 9-6, with six minutes left in the first quarter. HBU led by as many as six, but the two teams played evenly through the final 3:10 as HBU led by two, 19-17. TAMUCC was kept in the game thanks to 12 made free throws in the quarter.
HBU scored three quick points to take a nine-point lead, 26-17, which forced the Islanders to take a timeout 34 seconds into the second quarter. Mbamalu came back and nailed a three-pointer which sparked a 10-1 Islander run to tie the game at 27-all with five minutes remaining in the first half. Sihvola silenced the crowd with a three-pointer to help HBU regain the lead, 30-27. The Islanders battled back and tied the game at 33-33, but
Amanda Johnson came down the court and swished a trey to give HBU a three-point lead, 36-33, with 90 seconds to go. After Johnson pulled down a defensive rebound, Arthur went down the floor and hit a layup for a five-point advantage. The Islanders scored the quarter's final three points for a 38-36 HBU lead at the break.
Arthur led HBU with 11 first-half points, followed with Sihvola's 10. Flores paced the Islanders with 12 points, thanks in large part to going 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. What also helped the Islanders was HBU's 13 first-half turnovers resulting in 16 TAMUCC points. HBU shot 59 percent from the floor compared to 42 percent for the Islanders.
HBU shot 64 percent from the floor and held the Islanders to 20 percent shooting in a game-changing third quarter. After a Mbamalu steal resulting in a Camesha Davis layup tied the game at 40-all less than two minutes into the quarter, HBU used an 8-1 run to take a seven-point lead, 48-41, and forcing TAMUCC to take a timeout at the 6:14-mark of the third quarter. Following the breather, Mbamalu hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four, but the Huskies heated up, closing the final 5:58 outscoring the Islanders, 18-2, to take a 66-46 lead entering the final quarter. The 28 points scored by HBU in the quarter were the most since dropping that many against Huston-Tillotson last Dec. 28. HBU focused more on defense in the fourth quarter, as only 20 total points were scored in the frame.
Strickland had a double-double in the second half with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Davis and Flores each scored five points to lead the Islanders.
HBU returns home for the next two games, beginning Saturday at 4 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin. Fans are encouraged to wear orange and there will be a pizza party at halftime of the game in the lobby of Sharp Gym for HBU students. Students will also be able to register to receive a $100 gift card courtesy of Houston Federal Credit Union.
