LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Paige Allen scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defeated Lamar 68-61 on Thursday in the Southland Conference title game to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
While it’s the first trip to the NCAAs for the Islanders, the win returns coach Royce Chadwick to the tournament for the first time in 23 years. Chadwick, who has 750 career wins, made seven consecutive NCAA trips with Stephen F. Austin. He’s in his 12th season with the Islanders.
Alecia Westbrook added 17 points and Mireia Aguado 11 for the second-seeded Islanders (23-8), who advanced to the title game on Allen’s basket with four seconds left in a 60-59 semifinal win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Sabria Dean scored 19 points for top seed Lamar (24-6), which came in on a 14-game winning streak, including two victories over the Islanders. Conference player of the year Akasha Davis was held to just two points in the first half but finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds despite sitting out almost all of the third quarter in foul trouble.
Davis and Dean combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Cardinals, cutting a 14-point deficit to five with an early 9-0 run. The Islanders clung to their lead, though, and after a Davis basket had Lamar within four with 19.5 seconds left, Aguado broke free on an inbounds play for an easy basket and she added two free throws a few seconds later.
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Davis had just one shot attempt and two made free throws in the first half but opened the second half scoring through three defenders and Lamar was within five. But after the Islanders’ Jaeda Whitner hit a 3-pointer, Davis picked up her third foul and took a seat for all but a few seconds of the period. The Islanders took advantage with Westbrook scoring seven points and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi heading into the final quarter ahead 48-36.
Allen scored 13 points in the first half when the Islanders took a 31-23 lead. They led by 11 in the first quarter before Lamar got consecutive 3-pointers from Malay McQueen to end the period.
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