Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Islanders women want to take it to the next level

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Tuesday, November 28, 2000

Islanders women want to take it to the next level
Texas A&M-CC team not satisfied with competitive, but losing efforts
By Matt Young
Caller-Times
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team has received pats on the backs for hanging tough against some stiff competition lately. But the Islanders aren't satisfied.
   Last week, the Islanders suffered a five-point loss at SMU and a six-point loss against Oklahoma State at home. A&M-Corpus Christi was in both games down the stretch, but lost both in the final minute.
   No matter how close those games were, the Islanders still aren't pleased with their 2-2 record, players said.
   "It's really frustrating because we work so hard to stay with those teams and stay close, then we get down to the end of the game and we still get the loss," point guard Mandie Vinck said. "We want to be able to get over that hump and win those close games against the good teams."
   In order to win the close games, the Islanders are going to have to find a way to execute better in the final minutes of games. A&M-Corpus Christi scored just three points in the final three minutes against Oklahoma State.
   "We have to be able to score down the stretch if we want to win those games," Islander coach Sheryl Estes said. "Against Oklahoma State, we got a couple good looks at the basket inside near the end of the game, and we didn't hit them. Teams that win close games make those shots."
   Estes said she doesn't want to use the inexperience of her second-year program as an excuse for the two losses.
   "We can't be the young, inexperienced team on the floor anymore," Estes said. "I think those losses came down to a failure to execute during big moments in the games. You can't blame our inexperience for that."
   Even with the two losses, it's hard not to notice the improvement the Islanders have made since their inaugural season. Last year, Oklahoma State trashed A&M-Corpus Christi by 37 points. A year later, the Islanders took the Cowgirls to the limit before losing.
   "It's good to know that we've improved, and it's obvious that we have improved, but we still want to win," Vinck said. "It doesn't really matter if you lose by one point or 40 points, they're still losses."
   Lamar is another team the Islanders can impress with how much they've improved. The Lady Cardinals crushed A&M-Corpus Christi by 25 points last season in Beaumont.
   "We played pretty bad last year against them, so we'd like to show them we're a much better team than last year," Vinck said. "I don't think there's any way we'll play as bad as we did against them last year."
   Staff writer Matt Young can be reached at 886-3702 or by e-mail at youngm@caller.com

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