Box Score SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word held off a feisty Texas A&M-Kingsville squad, 75-67 on Saturday in Lone Star Conference men's basketball action at the McDermott Center. (Box Score)
         
The Cardinals (12-6, 8-2) and Javelinas (9-8, 5-5) played through 17 lead changes and four ties throughout the contest.  In the first half, the Javelinas jumped out to an early five point lead, but the Cardinals responded and went up by as many as six points before the game settled down.  It was a one possession game for the final 6:31 of the first half and for seven of the first eight minutes of the second half.
         
The Cardinals battled foul trouble for most of the game.  Starting point guard Lyn'Dale Brown (San Antonio/Judson HS) only played five minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.  UIW had four players with three fouls within the first five minutes of the second half, but the team held together.
         
The Cardinals had a nice sequence midway through the second half where Brown scored on an alley-oop dunk and then a defensive stop and fast break led to a quick bucket by Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) to give the team a 55-48 lead with 11:03 to play.  The Javelinas cut the lead back to three points with 7:44 remaining after a tough layup by Adonis Bailey, but they could never get any closer.
         
The Cardinals struggled from the foul line for most of the contest, but were on point in the final minutes.  They went 16-of-19 from the charity stripe in the final 6:44 of the game and scored all but two of their points during that stretch at the line.
         
The Cardinals picked up their sixth consecutive home win and eighth victory in nine games to remain at the top of the conference standings.  They shot 48.0 percent from the field, made 2-of-15 from three-point range and were 25-of-35 at the foul line.  Dionelle Rucker (San Antonio/New Life Christian Academy) led the team with 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 6-of-8 from the field.  Four other players scored in double figures including Livingston who had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.  Brown added 12 points and six rebounds while Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) had 13 points and four boards.  Andre Corley (Baytown/Baytown HS) added 11 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the foul line off the bench.  The team had 35 rebounds and 10 turnovers.
         
The Javelinas shot 42.1 percent from the field, made 5-of-16 from three-point range and were 14-of-22 at the foul line.  Adonis Bailey led the team with 13 points and a pair of blocks.  Dwight Taylor knocked down a trio of three-pointers and finished with 12 points.  Marshall Bonds came off the bench to score 11 points and grab 5 rebounds in only 18 minutes.  They had 34 rebounds and committed 13 turnovers.
         
The Cardinals are back in action on Thursday when they travel to LSC rival Midwestern State at 8 p.m.
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