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Sunday, December 3, 2000

Late stumble costs A&M-CC men
Islanders watch 12-point advantage slip away against North Texas
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team must feel like it can't catch a break these days.
   One night after suffering the worst loss in the program's two-year history, the Islanders fought back to erase a 19-point first-half deficit against North Texas, actually opened up a 12-point lead in the second half, then collapsed down the stretch and lost to the Eagles, 111-102, at the Pizza Hut Classic.
   "It's feast or famine right now," head coach Ronnie Arrow said. "We have not put 40 minutes together, or come close to putting 40 minutes together."
   Losers of three in a row and four of its last five, A&M-Corpus Christi (3-4) heads home as the only team at Southwest Missouri State's tournament to lose both games at the Hammons Center this weekend. The Islanders will have a few days to regroup before heading back on the road Thursday to face traditional NCAA tournament team Valparaiso.
   North Texas (1-4), which picked up its first win of the season, enters the record books as the team who scored the most points against A&M-Corpus Christi, scoring 13 more than Montana State put up in a 99-88 win last December in Bozeman, Mont.
   The Eagles accomplished the feat thanks in part to the Islanders' overabundance of fouls and their own outstanding free-throw shooting. A&M-Corpus Christi was whistled 36 times in the game, leading to 44 made free throws by North Texas on 55 attempts.
   "Their offense was free throws," said Arrow, whose team went to the line only 16 times. "I don't know, but this is one of the most lopsided games I've ever seen. I can't believe that on one given night we could foul that many times."
   The game proved to be an evening of large runs. The Islanders came out flatter than they did the previous night-when they lost to Sam Houston State, 88-63 -- digging themselves into a 19-point hole in the first half.
   They managed to rally, though, and opened up a 12-point lead midway through the second half. Still ahead, 88-85, with 5:51 to play in the game, the Islanders mimicked several games from last year in which they could not seal the deal.
   The Eagles went on a 14-2 run, aided by three straight A&M-Corpus Chrsiti turnovers, took a 9-point lead and did not allow the Islanders to make up the difference down the stretch.
   "It takes time," Arrow said. "We just have to have the maturity out there to be able to score in crucial situations."
   A trio of players scored 20 or more points for North Texas, led by guard Kenneth Mangrum's 25 and a pair of 21-point performances by Chris Davis and Jason Miller.
   Michael Hicks had 25 points to lead the Islanders, though the senior fouled out (one of three players to do so) late in the game. Sennai Atsbeha had 18 points and a team-record 11 assists off the bench, while Damian Kirkaldy, who did not start for the first time this year, came out and had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
   Seven minutes into the game, it looked as though nothing had changed for A&M-Corpus Christi since its disastrous 25-point loss Friday night to Sam Houston. The Islanders came out of the locker room in a daze and watched as North Texas rattled off a 23-4 run to take a stunning 27-8 lead with 13 minutes left in the half.
   When Arrow picked up a technical foul arguing a non-charge call, it looked like A&M-Corpus Christi might be ready to concede defeat. But Arrow's misfortune may have fired up the Islanders, who came right back to put together a huge run of their own.
   Spurred by three 3-pointers by Atsbeha, a suddenly invigorated A&M-Corpus Christi scored 18 straight points and erased the entire deficit, knotting the game at 31.
   Atsbeha's fourth 3-pointer gave the Islanders a 36-35 lead with 6:15 left in the first half before the teams traded baskets the rest of the way. An unusual five-point play-C.J. McBride hit a 3-pointer, while at the same time Kirkaldy was fouled and made both his free throws-put A&M-Corpus Christi up by 7, though the Eagles would cut the lead to 50-47 at the break.
   "It was a tribute to our guys to come back," Arrow said. "But we never should have been in that situation."
   TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (3-4) - Hamilton 2-3 0-0 4, Hicks 11-21 3-5 25, Shultz 0-0 2-2 2, Evans 2-5 2-2 7, Denmon 4-10 0-1 5, McBride 3-5 0-0 9, Drasutis 4-8 3-4 13, Atsbeha 7-13 0-0 18, Kirkaldy 7-12 2-2 16, Diene 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-77 12-16 102.
   NORTH TEXAS (1-4) - Lucas 7-7 4-5 18, Miller 7-7 7-8 21, White 1-5 13-14 15, Mangrum 7-9 8-10 25, Davis 7-17 5-8 21, Smith 0-0 0-2 0, Allen 0-1 0-0 0, McFall 0-1 4-4 4, Richardson 2-5 3-4 7. Totals 31-52 44-55 111.
   Halftime - A&M-Corpus Christi 50, North Texas 47. 3-point goals - A&M-Corpus Christi 10-27 (Atsbeha 4-7, McBride 3-4, Drasutis 2-5, Evans 1-3, Hamilton 0-1, Hicks 0-2, Denmon 0-5), North Texas 5-17 (Mangrum 3-5, Davis 2-8, Allen 0-1). Fouled out - Kirkaldy, Denmon, Hicks. Technical foul - A&M-Corpus Christi bench. Rebounds - A&M-Corpus Christi 30 (Kirkaldy 12), North Texas 34 (Miller 9). Assists - A&M-Corpus Christi 25 (Atsbeha 11), North Texas 22 (White 13). Total fouls - A&M-Corpus Christi 36, North Texas 19. A - NA (8,846).
   Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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