Box Score SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Visiting St. Mary's University caught fire from behind the three-point arc on Wednesday night at the McDermott Center and downed the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team, 94-87.  (Box Score)

The Rattlers (1-0) connected on 11-of-15 three-point attempts for the game, including an unheard of 8-of-10 in the second half.  Moses Sundufu came off the bench to spark the visitors with 20 points in just 18 minutes of action while going 5-for-5 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the field overall.  Daryell Taylor was another main culprit for the Rattlers as he went 4-of-6 from downtown and finished with 27 points.

The game was an enjoyable contest for the fans as the teams combined to shoot well over 50 percent from the field and they combined for 106 points in the second half. 

In the first half, the Rattlers got out to a great start.  They led 20-6 after three-pointers by Taylor and Christian Bower with 12:43 remaining in the first half.  They maintained their 14-point lead until the Cardinals (2-1) closed with a 21-2 run to claim the lead.

The Cardinals were sparked by Dionelle Rucker (San Antonio/New Life Christian Academy) and Lyn'Dale Brown (San Antonio/Judson HS).  The two seniors accounted for 18 of the 21 points in the run.  Freshman Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) closed the half by scoring the final five points for the Cardinals to give them a 39-36 lead at the break.

The Cardinals maintained their lead through the first few minutes of the second half, but Rattlers quickly grabbed the advantage.  Isaiah Matthews' lay-up with 15:40 remaining in the contest gave St. Mary's a lead they would never relinquish.  Over the final 10 minutes of the game the Cardinals would cut the lead to four points on three occasions, but could never get over the hump.

The Cardinals shot 49.2 percent from the field, made 8-of-20 from three-point range and were 21-of-28 at the foul line.  Rucker led the team with 29 points, six rebounds and four steals while going 9-of-13 from the field and 11-for-15 at the line.  It was his third straight 20-point game.  All five starters scored in double figures.  Anthony Horton (League City/Clear Springs HS) had 15 points and Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) added 16 points.  Badillo finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while Brown added 11 points, six assists and three blocks.  The team had 26 rebounds and committed six turnovers.

The Rattlers finished the game shooting 57.1 percent from the field, 73.1 percent from three-point range and made 11-of-18 from the foul line.  In addition to Taylor and Sundufu, Kevin Kotzur had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Bower had nine points and eight assists.  Matthews chipped in with 13 points and six boards.  They had 39 rebounds and committed 17 turnovers on the night.

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday at Texas A&M-International at 7 p.m.
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