Texas A&M-Corpus Christi wins First Four game, to face Alabama

DAYTON, Ohio — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi guard Terrion Murdix left the court at UD Arena the way he entered it Tuesday night, on crutches with a brace on his left knee. But he also hobbled off with a massive smile and the knowledge that his team had advanced in the NCAA tournament.

Playing without Murdix, the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held off Southeast Missouri 75-71 in a First Four matchup of No. 16 seeds. The Islanders won their first-ever NCAA tournament game and advanced in the South Region to face No. 1 seed Alabama on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama.

«It was a consistent theme: 'Let's do this for T,'» said guard Ross Williams, who scored 13 points off the bench. «T is an unselfish person, he'll give the shirt off his back, so when you lose a guy like that, it brings the group closer together. We know we're not done yet.

»This is March."

Jalen Jackson led the Islanders with 22 points, including 14 free throws, while Isaac Mushila had 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi led most of the game but found itself tied at 64-64 with 3:07 to play.

The Islanders had a second-half lead against Texas Southern in the First Four last season, but were outscored 17-6 in the final six minutes.

«I'm sitting there saying to myself, 'Man, you can't let this happen,'» coach Steve Lutz said. "'You've done a good job, you were up 10 points, you were winning at the half. Get your team back together and get them all on the same page and then finish out the game.'"

Lutz expected his team to respond without Murdix, who sustained his injury minutes into the Southland title game. But the coach also wondered how the Islanders would replace Murdix's offense, as the