CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) Rashawn Thomas scored 23 points with six rebounds and four steals and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi used a strong first half to defeat NAIA St. Mary's (Texas) 77-67 on Friday night.

Ehab Amin added 15 points with six rebounds and seven steals, which tied the school record, and Joseph Kilgore had 10 points for the Islanders (6-2), who led 36-18 at the half.

A 12-0 run in the first half put the Islanders up 22-10 and the lead was 25 with less than seven minutes to play.

Yanni Wetzell had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Rattlers, who used the game as an exhibition. Ed Seay added 14 points and eight rebounds as St. Mary's outrebounded the Islanders 40-24, including 18-6 on the offensive end.

The Islanders shot 50 percent and made 23 of 26 from the foul line. They had 17 steals on 21 St. Mary's turnovers.

The Rattlers shot 40 percent but made only 6 of 23 3-pointers and went 11 of 13 from the foul line.

Copyright 2016 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.