Published: January 31, 2009 03:07 pm      

Halftime

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Well, we've arrived at halftime and it's a close one, just as expected.

Looking at the box score, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is dominating inside, outscoring Sam Houston 18-8 inside the paint. But what can be missed is that the Bearkats are playing some excellent defense.

Of the 11 field goals that the Islanders have made, nine of those have come from inside. The Kats have held Corpus Christi to only 36.7 percent shooting (11-of-30).

In the five conference games they have played, no team has held the Islanders to less 40 percent.

The Kats, on the other hand, are having success from the perimeter. So far, that has helped to counter TAMU-CC's inside game and force the Islanders to play more balanced and guard the 3-point shot.

The Kats have hit 7-of-14 from long range, with starting point guard Ashton Mitchell and forward Preston Brown each drilling two.

Sam will need to keep up its field goal percentage in the second half to keep the Islanders off-balance.