Texas A&M-CC tops Southeast Missouri State in First Four matchup

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Isaac Mushila had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held off Southeast Missouri State 75-71 on Tuesday night to earn the first NCAA Tournament win in program history.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 3 of 4 at the free-throw line in the final 15 seconds to ice the game and advance to play top-seeded Alabama in the South Region.

"To find a way to win, I couldn’t be more excited and more proud for those guys, obviously for the city, for the university and all of the Islander fans that are across the country watching this game," Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz said. "They’ve got to be pretty excited."

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Southeast Missouri State's Phillip Russell grabs a loose ball against Texas A&M Corpus Christi's Simeon Fryer during the first half of a First Four college basketball game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Dayton, Ohio.  (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The 16th-seeded Islanders (24-10), winners of the Southland Conference, returned to the First Four for a second straight season and led for all but 23 seconds.

Southeast Missouri State (19-17) erased a 10-point deficit in the opening game of this NCAA Tournament and tied it at 64 when Chris Harris made both free throws with 3:07 left.

Trevian Tennyson scooped in a layup off the glass to give Texas A&M-Corpus Christi a 72-69 lead with 22 seconds left, but Phillip Russell drove for a layup on the other end to bring the Redhawks within one.

Jalen Jackson made two foul shots with 14 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 74-71, and Russell came up short on a good look at a