The age-old expression in sports that “it's hard to beat a team three times in a season” was on display in Allen, Texas as the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team defeated Midwestern State University at the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Championships on Thursday afternoon.
The Cardinals, seeded 6th in the tournament, survived giving up a 16-point lead to the Mustangs and beat 3rd seeded, and No 10-ranked, MSU, 75-71.
“It's really hard to win three games against the same team,” coach Angela Lawson said in the post-game interview. “We had a big lead and they came back to hit some huge shots. We stayed strong as a team and fought the whole game. I think it's a testament to the kind of team we are.”
The victory puts UIW's overall record at 15-12 on the season.
Five UIW players scored in double digits, led by Ashlyn Green's 17 points – her final two points coming on free throws that tied the game at 71-71 (the fourth tie score of the game) with 2:39 left to play in the contest.
“I was just going with the flow of the game,” Green said about her late buckets. “I knew I couldn't score unless I shot the ball.”
Cardinal sophomore Ifunanya Mora scored 15 points and her final four points gave Incarnate Word the lead and the four-point cushion that ended Midwestern State's season with 00:04 left to play.
Also scoring in double digits were senior Chloe Wallace (14 points), sophomore Rose Whitehead (11 points, all in the first half) and junior Jocelyn Jarmon (10 points).
Whitehead's 11 points were key in the Cardinals building a 47-36 halftime lead, with the young center scoring 7 consecutive points for UIW in one stretch after coming off the bench.
But, Midwestern State fought back once the teams came back from the locker rooms, eventually taking the lead, 52-51, at 11:33, starting a sequence the rest of the game that never saw either team getting more than four points ahead of the other.
Lawson was glad to see her team bounce back mentally and emotionally after giving up the double-digit lead.
“You could see it in our body language, for sure,” she said. “But I was so proud of how they didn't give up.”
Wallace echoed her coach's thoughts, saying she and her teammates never really felt like the game was over, even after surrendering the lead.
“We had the heart and desire to win,” the Austin native told reporters after the game. “We never give up and know that we're never out of a game. Our defense tightened up late, which always helps your offense gain confidence.”
Even though the turnover statistics were nearly even, with MSU having 13 and UIW 11, the Cardinals were able to turn the Mustangs' mistakes into 25 points while the higher-seeded team only got 15 points from UIW miscues.
Now, the Cardinals will wait to see the outcome of the West Texas A&M (#2 seed) and Texas Woman's University (#7 seed) game to know who their next opponent is. No matter who is victorious, Lawson said that at this point in the season, everyone is ready to play everyone.
“We've played everyone twice already this season so there's nothing special game-plan wise that we do. The reality of it is that it comes down to who plays better that day.”
The Cardinals' next game will be on Saturday, March 3rd, at noon. There will be a Watch Party taking place at the Incarnate Word Student Center Lounge for UIW fans to enjoy the game back in San Antonio.
