Islanders women win first conference tournament basketball championship

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi alumni and fans gathered on Thursday to witness Islanders womens' basketball history. TAMU-CC won their first Southland Conference Tournament Championship in three appearances, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

The Islanders (23-8) defeated Lamar 68-61. Adding to that historical mark, it is the first time in program history that A&M-Corpus Christi won a championship in back-to-back years after they won the regular season last year. It is also the first time ever that the program will have made a postseason appearance in consecutive seasons after the Islanders played in the WNIT last year.

Senior Paige Allen was named the Tournament MVP following the win. She finished with a career-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Graduate student Alecia Westbrook was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor against the Cardinals and added five from the charity stripe to finish with 17 points. Senior Mireia Aguado also turned in a double figure performance in the championship, adding 11.

The Islanders pulled ahead early, but Lamar battled back in the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run. However, made free throws and buckets from Aguado and Westbrook kept Corpus Christi ahead till the end.

"That absolutely was the longest minute of all of our lives, but of course the Lady Islanders pulled through," Peggy Lara, Baseline Babes and Islanders Alumni Executive Board Member, said. "They made the points that they needed to make. We had a lot of great defense, and we're extremely proud of the work that they have done today. They've done a great job."

This was also a historic win for women's basketball head coach Royce Chadwick who earned his 750th career victory. He has led the Islanders to three championships in five years.

The Islanders will find out who they play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament during Selection Sunday. Fans can join the University watch party at 6:30 p.m. at the University Center Lonestar Ballroom. Selection starts at 7 p.m.

"Today has been really beyond expression how excited we are for our Lady Islanders for winning and going to the Big Dance," Haysam Dawod, President of the TAMU-CC Alumni Association, said. "Go Islanders. It's an exciting time."