Texas A&M-CC beats Houston Baptist 85-72

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) Rashawn Thomas and John Jordan scored 20 points apiece and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beat Houston Baptist 85-72 on Thursday.

The Islanders (17-12, 12-5 Southland) pulled into a fourth-place tie with Northwestern State - which fell to conference-leader Stephen F. Austin - with one game to play.

Texas A&M-CC scored the first 10 points of the game and built a 20-point lead with 5:14 left in the first half after Brandon Pye's 3-pointer and free throw made it 40-18. The Islanders led 46-29 at the break.

Houston Baptist chipped away at the deficit and drew to within two on Colter Lasher's 3-pointer with 12:12 to go. But the Islanders responded with a 14-1 run to go up 69-54 with 7:39 left and never looked back.

Anthony Odunsi and Jourdan Stickler had 14 points apiece to pace Houston Baptist (11-16, 6-11).