Box Score AUSTIN, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word closed out the St. Edward's Shootout late on Saturday night with an 84-81 victory over the tournament host. (Box Score)

The Cardinals (2-0) jumped out to a big first half lead only to see the Hilltoppers (1-1) storm back before halftime.  The second half was a tight affair with the teams trading the lead six times.  The Cardinals got a key three-pointer from Lyn'Dale Brown (San Antonio/Judson HS) with 1:27 remaining in the game that snapped a 75-75 tie.  The Cards held the lead the rest of the way thanks to some clutch free throw shooting by Anthony Horton (League City/Clear Springs HS) and Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) to cinch the game.

The Cardinals started the game well building up a 26-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.  The tables flipped for the rest of the half with the Hilltoppers closing with a 15-4 run.  They would take the lead on a conventional three-point play by Shimeek Johnson with 2:45 left in the half to make it 38-36 St. Edward's.  The Cards finished the half strong and were able to take a 45-41 lead into halftime.

In the second half, it appeared that the Cardinals were pulling away after Mitchell Badillo's (Houston/Cy-Falls HS) lay-up gave them a nine-point lead with 10:04 left in the game.  However, the Hilltoppers went on a 10-1 run to tie the game at 67-67 with 7:59 remaining and set the stage for the final tumultuous minutes.

The Cardinals shot 53.4 percent from the field, made 2-of-10 from three-point range and were 20-of-28 from the foul line.  Horton led the team with 22 points, including a 7-for-7 performance at the foul line.  Dionelle Rucker (San Antonio/New Life Christian Academy) pumped in 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and had four steals en route to earning Tournament MVP honors.  Brown finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and took home All-Tournament Team honors.  Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) came off the bench to score 10 points and swipe six steals.  The team grabbed 30 rebounds and committed 22 turnovers.

The Hilltoppers shot 40.8 percent from the field, made 8-of-29 from three-point range and were 15-of-22 from the charity stripe.  Shimeek Johnson led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds.  Zillijan Jones added 15 points while Harley Nussman grabbed a game-high 13 boards and blocked three shots.  They had 44 rebounds and committed 25 turnovers.

The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against St. Mary's at home.
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