LAKE CHARLES, La. – For the second consecutive season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders are champions of the Southland Conference in men's basketball.
The top-seeded Islanders took a thriller over No. 2 Northwestern State by the score of 75-71 in the Jersey Mike's Southland Basketball Championships presented by LouisianaTravel.com.
It is the third title for A&M-Corpus Christi overall as they become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Stephen F. Austin in 2015 and 2016. A&M-Corpus's other title came in 2007.
Jalen Jackson scored 17 points with six assists to earn Southland Tournament MVP while Owen Dease added 16 points and seven rebounds on four 3-pointers. Trevian Tennyson added 14 points.
For Northwestern State, DeMarcus Sharp scored 32 points with seven assists and two steals, while Ja'Monta Black scored 15 on four 3-pointers. Jalen Hampton added 13 points and 12 boards with two blocks.
For Steve Lutz in his second season, it's 2-for-2, but it did not come easy. The Islanders had to manage an early double digit deficit and the loss of their star point guard Terrion Murdix early in the game.
In the early goings of this heavyweight battle, Northwestern State was the team out to the hot start as a barrage of 3-pointers from Isaac Haney and Ja'Monta Black gave the Demons an 11-4 lead.
The offensive output did not stop there as DeMarcus Sharp began to show his status as Player of the Year as he scored 14 points in the first 12 minutes to open up a massive 26-10 lead for the Demons.
However, Sharp would get into foul trouble and the deep Islander team took advantage as they caught fire on the other end, outscoring the Demons 21-5 down the stretch including 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers from Dease.
The second half turned into a clash of titans as the Islanders and Demons began to show why they were at the top of the Southland standings all season long.
Throughout the first 12 minutes of the second half, neither team led by more than one possession as both teams hit big shot after big shot to keep pace with the other.
With the game tied at 52, Isaac Mushila buried a 3-pointer followed by lay in from Jackson to get their lead to five.
Northwestern State got responses from Sharp and Black but Jackson and Tennyson answered back to get the lead to a game-high eight.
Leading by eight with 2:29 to go, Northwestern State had one final push as they got it down to three on a deep ball from Black with 1:12 to go.
After forcing a turnover, Sharp drove the lane and cut it to one with under a minute to play.
However, that was the last basket from the Demons as Tennyson hit a huge floater and Jackson sealed it with free throws after a stop to take the 75-71 victory.
The Islanders shot an incredible 17 of 25 (68%) in the second half including five 3-pointers, while holding the Demons, who shot 50 percent in the first half, to 41 percent in the second half.
The Islanders will await their destination on Sunday afternoon as Selection Sunday will air live on CBS.