TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL 71, INCARNATE WORD 58

The Cardinals left for Laredo after a huge win in overtime against Division I matchup, Texas A&M Corpus Christi.  Unfortunately, UIW missed out on opening their season with a win when tournament host Texas A&M International grabbed a home court win, 71-58.

After starting last season out 11-0, the Cardinals were hoping for another great start.  After the loss, in Laredo, however, it looks like getting that start is going to be a little bit harder. 

Senior forward Chris Johnson and junior forward Dionelle Rucker led the Cardinals with 14 points and 12 points respectively.  Johnson and Rucker were the only Cardinals in double figure points.  The pair also had 4 rebounds apiece for the Cardinals and Rucker had a remarkable 5 steals.  In some foul trouble with 4 fouls, junior center Ian Markolf, who posted big stats against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, ended the game against the Dustdevils with 6 points and 9 rebounds.

The Cardinals gave up 71 points to the Dustdevils, 6 more than they gave to Texas A&M Corpus Christi.  The Dustdevils also beat the Cardinals in the shooting crusade by a large margin of 50.35 percent to 39.65 for the Cardinals.  Making a significant difference in the game was behind the arc shooting.  While Texas A&M International was 7-12, the Cardinals were just 4-17.

The Cardinals will take on Texas-Permian Basin tomorrow in their final game of the crossover challenge.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.