Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Islanders win in blowout

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Tuesday, January 16, 2001

Islanders win in blowout
A&M-CC men oust Albany in 107-78 win
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Texas A&M-CC forward Michael Hicks (11) drives to the basket past an Albany defender during the Islanders’ 107-78 win over Albany on Monday.

One of the most intense and animated head coaches you'll ever find on the sidelines, Ronnie Arrow can usually find something worth yelling or complaining about during Texas A&M-Corpus Christi basketball games.
   But even the easily agitated Arrow could find no wrong with his team's performance Monday night. It's hard to find fault with a near-flawless, 39-point home victory.
   "I told the guys I could hardly wait to play a game where I could sit on the bench, keep my jacket on and relax," said Arrow, who got his wish in the Islanders' 107-78 manhandling of Albany at Memorial Coliseum. "Whenever you play like that, everybody has fun."
   Arrow couldn't have scripted a better effort from the Islanders (9-9), who set the school record for shooting with a dazzling 61.9-percent display that only got better as the game went on. A&M-Corpus Christi sank 19 of 27 shots in the second half, an unfathomable 70.4-percent clip.
   The Islanders were even more effective from the free-throw line, making 20 of 24 attempts (83.3 percent). They dished out a team-record 26 assists, tied a record with eight blocked shots and broke the 100-point barrier for the third time this season.
   "This has been a long time coming," said sophomore forward Shaun Hemsley, who had his first career double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. "I can't remember the last time we had a blowout like this."
   A&M-Corpus Christi's guards had their best game as a unit, with Lee Denmon (17 points), Armond Wainright (13 points, 7 assists) and Sennai Atsbeha (6 assists) weaving through the Albany (4-13) defense like it was a high-school team, not the same Division I opponent that beat the Islanders by 15 points a year ago.
   "I think we needed a game like this," said Denmon, who scored his 17 points in only 12 minutes of action. "We played together and finally got a blowout win. It will help everyone's confidence when we go on the road."
   The Islanders now face their second six-game road trip of the season and won't return to the Coliseum until Feb. 10.
   Lost in the crowd Monday night was leading-scorer Michael Hicks, who merely went 12 of 14 from the field to post his typical 27 points before taking an early seat with A&M-Corpus Christi comfortably ahead.
   Truth be told, Hicks could have been held scoreless and the Islanders still would have had their way with the Great Danes, who got a pair of 19-point efforts from E.J. Gallup and Alex Barnhill, along with an 18-point showing from center Will Brand. First-year coach Scott Beeten got little support from anyone else, though, with his team turning the ball over 22 times and getting outrebounded 39-27.
   "Scoring 107 points might make it look like we were all offense tonight," Arrow said, "but I guarantee that 65 percent of it was because of our defense. The offense will always come when the defense is there."
   Much of that defense could be attributed to the Islanders' dominating presence in the post. Hemsley, who set personal records for points, minutes played and defensive rebounds, was joined up front by center Pathe Diene, who used his lanky 6-foot-11 frame and even longer wingspan to swat away five Albany shots.
   Diene even got one of the night's biggest ovations when he took a pass on the run and slammed the ball through the net, picked up a foul and then made the free-throw to finish a 3-point play that put A&M-Corpus Christi up 90-51 midway through the second half.
   "They're not just athletic, they're very talented," said Beeten, whose team was coming off an 84-69 loss at Texas-Pan American Saturday night. "We didn't have any answers tonight."



Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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