It was the title game in the Heartland Conference. It was number one against number two. And the script held up as Incarnate Word defeated Dallas Baptist for the 2009 league men's basketball championship.

Next up for the victorious Cardinals is a trip to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships, wherever that may be. The bids and the brackets will come sometime during the evening of Sunday. The only other time for UIW to reach the regional tournament was in the spring of 2002 when Incarnate Word reached the second round.

But right now the Cardinals don't much care about all that. They got a trophy Saturday night, they cut down the nets and “We Are The Champions” blared over the sound system in the McDermott Center. And all the Cardinals faithful were elated.

Incarnate Word (23-6) led the league almost from the get-go. Say almost because UIW lost its first Heartland game of the season back in late December to Dallas Baptist in Dallas. The Cardinals then reeled off 10 straight league wins before dropping a pair of home games late in the year. Holding on UIW gained the tournament's top seed and homecourt advantage.

That homecourt resulted in a semi-final, 20- point win over St. Edward's followed by the title clincher over Dallas Baptist (23-6), the second seed.

Saturday the Cardinals led the entire contest after opening the first half with a pair of three-pointers from senior guard Eric Nuncio, who was voted all-tournament. Senior forward Garrett Bell got a layup at the 13:08 mark and UIW was up by 10, 17-7. Dallas Baptist did not hit double figure points until seven minutes and 15 seconds had been played.

The Cardinals lead grew to 16 at 30-14 with 4:41 remaining before the Patriots cut it to nine at the half, 34-25.

The closest DBU could get in the second half was five on two different occasions, the last being at 49-44 with 6:14 showing on the game clock. Over the next two and one-half minutes Incarnate Word would score but six points. DBU's problem was it could manage but one basket and could not reduce the lead at all.

Senior guard Pierce Caldwell led all scorers with his 18 and that total combined with his 25 against St. Edward's earned him the title of tournament most valuable player. That goes with his being voted Heartland Player of the Year earlier in the week.

Nuncio was the only other Cardinals player in double figure points with 13. Two UIW guys had double figure rebounds—senior center Jawan Bailey with 11 and sophomore forward Tracy Robinson with 10. Bailey, the conference leader, blocked five shots.