Box Score ALLEN, TEXAS – Down by 11 points with 1:28 to play, Incarnate Word made an improbable comeback, led by Dionelle Rucker (San Antonio/New Life Christian Academy), to tie the game and force overtime, where the Cardinals then finished the job and knocked off Texas A&M-Kingsville, 80-75 for a stunning victory. (Box Score)

Rucker scored 36 points, including 10 straight points in 36 seconds.  Teammate Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) buried a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation.  In overtime, UIW outscored the Javelinas, 15-10 to keep its season alive.

The win moved the Cardinals into the semifinal round Saturday night (8:30 p.m.) to face No. 1 seed Midwestern State, a team that beat Incarnate Word twice in the regular-season.

UIW showed enough fight down the stretch to improve to 14-13.  The season ends for the Javelinas with a 13-13 record.
Kingsville led throughout the game, holding a 33-25 halftime edge and led by as much as 15.  The game tightened when Rucker hit a jumper to pull the Cardinals within five points at 55-50 with 3:08 to play.  But that is when Kingsville rallied back as Reid Wallace and Dwight Taylor hit consecutive 3-pointers to push the lead up to 11.  After a bucket by UIW's Lyn'Dale Brown (San Antonio/Judson HS), the Javelinas appeared to put the game away with a monster dunk by Adonis Bailey to give Kingsville an 11-point edge.

That is when Rucker completely took over.  He converted a tip-in basket, then stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup and foul, giving him five points in four seconds.  After a missed shot for Kingsville, Rucker had a layup, and then another three-point play following missed free throws by the Javelinas.

With the lead only one, Kingsville made two free throws to push the lead to three-pointer before Livingston canned an open 3-pointer from the right corner with 10 seconds to play.  UIW's Anthony Horton blocked a final shot by the Javelinas to force overtime.

The game was tied with 1:20 to play but despite Rucker fouling out, the Cardinals converted seven free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

Rucker's 36 points was the eighth-highest single-game output in the LSC Championship history.  Rucker, who had only 10 points at the half, became the eighth player in Incarnate Word school history to reach 500 points in a season and now has 502 on the season.

The Cardinals shot 34.7 percent from the field, made only 2-of-16 from three-point range and were 28-of-37 at the foul line.  Rucker, a senior, added 13 rebounds and four steals while going 14-of-19 at the foul line.  Brown, also a senior, finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds, both career high numbers.  The team pulled down 10 more rebounds than the Javelinas and had 21 total offensive rebounds.

The Javelinas shot 41.3 percent from the field, made 5-of-16 from three-point range and were 18-of-28 from the foul line.  Rashad Basey led the team with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.  Four other players finished in double figures.