CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Interstat) — Sheldon Williams scored 19 points and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi used a decisive second-half surge to pull away from Texas A&M-Commerce for an 84-71 victory in a Southland Conference men’s basketball game Monday night at the American Bank Center.

The Islanders (17-14, 11-7) outscored the Lions 47-35 after halftime, breaking open a contest that was tied 37-37 at intermission. The win secured a winning regular season for the home team, while the Lions (11-21, 7-11) dropped their third consecutive game.

Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward from Atmore, Alabama, was efficient in 27 minutes, adding two assists and a block. His interior scoring was pivotal as Corpus Christi established control in the paint. He was supported by guard Nicholas Shogbonyo, who added 16 points, and Daniel Michelini-Jackson, who chipped in 12 points, two assists and a block.

The game’s turning point came early in the second half. After Commerce’s Damian Garcia opened the scoring with a driving layup to tie the game at 39-39, the Islanders embarked on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes. The spurt was fueled by defense and balanced scoring. Mason Gibson connected on a 3-pointer off an assist from DA Houston, Cenker Evran scored inside, and Williams capped the run with a layup, forcing a Commerce timeout with the Islanders leading 52-41 with 15:54 remaining.

Commerce, led by 17-point performances from both Noah Pagotto and Vinny Sigona, could not mount a sustained response. Every time the Lions threatened to cut the deficit to single digits, the Islanders had an answer. A 3-pointer by Sigona brought Commerce within 59-52 near the midway point of the half, but Corpus Christi responded with a 7-0 burst, highlighted by another Williams layup and a Franck Yetna 3-pointer, to push the lead back to 14 points.

The Lions made a final push in the closing minutes. Trailing 73-64, Gianni Hunt and Evan Phelps hit consecutive 3-pointers around a pair of Cenker Evran free throws to close the gap to 75-70 with 2:28 left. After a Corpus Christi timeout, however, the Islanders delivered the knockout blow. Nicholas Shogbonyo drilled a critical 3-pointer from the wing off a feed from Houston to extend the lead back to eight. On the ensuing possession, Sheldon Williams blocked a Pagotto layup attempt, a defensive stop that effectively sealed the outcome. The Islanders closed the game on a 9-1 run over the final 1:45, with Shogbonyo hitting another 3-pointer and Michelini-Jackson adding a late triple for the final margin.

Beyond the leading scorers, other key contributors included DA Houston, who directed the Islander offense with six assists, and Gianni Hunt, who paced Commerce with six assists. Ronnie Harrison provided a first-half spark for the Lions with 14 points, but was limited after halftime.

The game began at a frantic pace, with Commerce leveraging active defense to build an early 8-0 lead, forcing an Islander timeout just over two minutes into the contest. Corpus Christi settled in, chipping away at the lead and eventually drawing even. The first half featured eight ties and neither team led by more than five points, setting the stage for the Islanders’ second-half breakout.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which defeated Commerce 61-50 on Jan. 12. The game was played before a crowd of 1,423.

With the regular season concluded, both teams now look ahead to the Southland Conference Tournament. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will seek to carry its momentum into the postseason, while Texas A&M-Commerce aims to regroup and find consistency.