It’s a rare day off for both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. Both will have a chance for some much-needed rest heading into next week.
The Islander women have a chance to put aside some bad memories after their 85-55 loss at Nicholls State on Wednesday. Nicholls jumped out to a 51-22 lead, blistering the Islanders for 49.2 percent shooting from the field.
A&M-Corpus Christi needs to do a better job protecting the ball in their next game Wednesday night against Abilene Christian in the Dugan Center.
The Islanders committed 18 turnovers that Nicholls turned into 20 points.
They also need more punch from their starting lineup. Backup junior forward Tiara Matthews led the team with 12 points in 18 minutes against Nicholls.
Still, the Islanders (10-7, 4-2) have played well in most conference games.
“We have to be consistent,” Islanders coach Royce Chadwick said. “If you’re one of my mainstays, you have to go in and be able to play without trouble and give your contributions.”
Chadwick sees a lot he can tinker with after Wednesday’s loss in Thibodaux, La.
“You have to make adjustments because each game is a little bit different,” he said. “We have to do one thing against Abilene Christian and change two days later to do something different against HBU, so you have to make those changes.
“Each game has a different game plan and you hope your players are experienced enough to that. And you have to bring in your freshmen along, because they are no longer freshmen. The high school season is about over so these girls hit that wall where their season is about over, but not here. You have four more weeks of college basketball .”
Chadwick has a young team with just one senior. Still, they have found a way to get it done closing into the final half of the regular season heading into the conference post-season tournament March 13-17 at Katy.
