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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Monday, November 5, 2001
Islanders win in preseason opener, 76-61
By Matt Young
Caller-Times
Caller-Times
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David Adame/Caller-Times
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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Anna Hartzell (left) fights with Houston’s Norma Noel (center) and LaCharlotte Smith for a loose ball.
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In its first competitive game of the season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team showed a steady diet of the old and a flash of the new.
The Islanders cruised past the Houston Jaguars 76-61 Sunday at Memorial Coliseum in a preseason game.
A&M-Corpus Christi led by 11 at halftime and was never threatened, stretching the lead to as large as 20 late in the game.
Three-year starter Kristin Rogers led the way with 19 points, and got some help by a couple sophomores that appeared ready to claim some meaningful playing time once the regular season starts.
Sophomore ShaKayla Hawkins got the start at point guard and ran the offense effectively, scoring eight points and dishing out seven assists.
Fellow sophomore Roberta Plaza, who garnered mostly garbage-time minutes last season, came off the bench to score eight points and grab a team-high six rebounds.
"I was real pleased with the play of Roberta and Shakayla, and Anna Hartzell, another sophomore, played well, also," A&M-Corpus Christi coach Sheryl Estes said. "I think Roberta's probably going to be our most improved player this season."
At 6-foot-4, Plaza has always been a force on defense, but her lack of offense limited her to play just 56 minutes all of last season. Plaza played 22 minutes in Sunday's exhibition.
"I feel a lot more comfortable out there compared to last year," Plaza said. "Coach told me to just slow myself down when I get out there and not rush everything. Hopefully, I can keep this up and play a big role for the team this year."
Hawkins, who started just one game last season, appeared comfortable in her new starting role. She had the Islanders' offense getting out in transition, forcing passes downcourt on the break. She also finished off an alley-oop layup off a pass from Jessie Monlux late in the game.
"I'm basically a run-and-gun point guard, so I try to get the team running as much as I can," Hawkins said. "I feel a lot more confident in my second season and feel like I can really help this team."
HOUSTON JAGUARS (61)
Johnson 2-5 0-0 4, Bovgere 3-8 0-1 7, Smith 3-10 1-2 7, McCoy 4-8 0-2 10, Tubbs 0-3 0-0 0, Hammond 1-1 0-0 2, Mitchell 2-8 2-3 8, Morrow 2-3 0-0 6, Noel 0-1 0-0 0, Bowling 0-0 0-0 0, Simpson 5-9 3-4 13. Totals 23-61 7-14 61.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (76)
Hartzell 2-10 3-5 7, Smith 3-3 6-6 12, Rogers 9-16 1-3 19, Bryant 3-6 0-0 6, Hawkins 3-6 1-2 8, Vinck 1-2 2-5 5, Gutierrez 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Cornelius 0-2 2-3 2, Plaza 3-4 2-4 8, Monlux 2-5 1-2 6, Thompson 0-2 0-0 0, Hartman 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 27-61 21-33 76.
Halftime-A&M-Corpus Christi 40, Houston Jaguars 29. 3-point goals-Houston Jaguars 7-19 (McCoy 2-5, Mitchell 2-4, Morrow 2-3, Bovgere 1-3, Smith 0-4), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2-7 (Monlux 1-2, Hawkins 1-2, Hartzell 0-1, Bryant 0-1, Jones 0-1). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-Houston Jaguars 34 (Noel 5), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 49 (Plaza, Monlux, Rogers 6). Assists-Houston Jaguars 13 (Bovgere 3), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 24 (Hawkins, Smith 7). Total fouls-Houston Jaguars 26, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 16.
Contact Matt Young at 886-3702 or youngm@caller.com
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