HAMMOND, LOUISIANA – The University of the Incarnate Word tips off their first season of Southland Conference basketball on Thursday night with a doubleheader at Southeastern Louisiana.  The women's game starts at 5:00 p.m. and will be followed by the men's game at approximately 7:00 p.m.

The UIW women are 6-6 on the season, but have lost six of their last seven games.  They hope to get back on the winning track against a Lions team that is only 2-12.  Rose Whitehead (Grapevine/Grapevine HS) leads the Cardinals with 14.3 points per game and she pulls down 6.2 rebounds per game.  Ify Mora (Grand Prairie/Arlington Bowie HS) is averaging 11.2 points per game and leads the team with 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The Lions have a trio of double-digit scorers led by Symone Miller's 14.5 points per game.  Nanna Pool chips in with 12.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.  They have been outscored by an average of 18.2 points per game.

The UIW men have the best record in the Southland at 12-1 and they have won seven straight games all at home.  They are averaging 87.0 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field.  Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) leads the team with 18.9 points per game and is shooting 60.6 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from three-point range.  Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) is contributing 17.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.  The Cardinals hold opponents to just 36.3 percent shooting from the floor.

The Lions enter the contest with a 5-8 record and 0-2 mark in conference play.  They average 72.9 points per game and allow 68.4 per game.  They have a balanced scoring attack with seven players averaging between 6.7 and 11.8 points per game.  JaMichael Hawkins is the leading scorer with 11.8 points per game.  Antonnio Benton adds 11.4 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game.
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