KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – It was business as usual for the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team on Saturday night at UM-Kansas City; fall behind by double figures, battle back and win a tight game on the road for the third straight game.

Freshman guard Jontrell Walker (Aurora, IL/West Aurora HS) got the Cardinals (8-1) to overtime and then senior guard Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) took over.  The two players combined for 59 points as the team won 110-104 in triple overtime against the 'Roos (4-8) at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.

The Cardinals trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but continued to show great resilience.  In the third overtime, Livingston knocked down a three-pointer and then Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) followed with two more three-pointers on the next two possessions to give the team a five-point lead with 2:00 left.  They were the first two baskets of the game for Hittle.  UIW was able to ice the game at the foul line.

The game opened with the 'Roos having the better run of play, but they led just 24-21 after Walker knocked down a pair of free throws.  UMKC followed with a 16-2 run over a 4:27 span to take a 40-23 lead.  The Cardinals were able to close to within 13 points at halftime.

The 'Roos still led 50-35 with 17:13 left in regulation when the Cardinals started their come back.  A 17-3 run by the Cardinals made it a one-point game with 11:36 remaining in regulation and from that point on neither team led by more than four points until Hittle's second three-pointer.

The Cardinals received quality contributions from a pair of bench players that have not played a lot this season.  Phillip Johnson (New Orleans/Edison HS) played a career-high 33 minutes going 3-for-5 from the field, grabbing six rebounds and picked up a pair of steals as the team battled foul trouble all night.  Austin Henry (Cibolo/Steele HS) played some in the first half, but then did not get back into the game until late in the second overtime when he took a charge and pulled down a key offensive rebound to help force a third OT.

Livingston played all 55 minutes of the game, including the final 16:50 with four fouls.  He finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists while going 13-of-15 from the foul line.  He scored 16 points in the three overtime periods.  Overall, the team shot 54.5 percent from the field, made 5-of-22 from three-point range and was 33-of-44 at the foul line.  Walker poured in 29 points before fouling out in the first minute of overtime.  He added three assists and three steals.
Freshmen Traylin Farris (Pearland/Manvel HS) and Shawn Johnson (Gretna, LA/Alief Hasting HS) each scored in double figures for the Cardinals.  Farris finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks while Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds.

UMKC shot 43.2 percent from the field, made 10-of-25 from three-point range and they went 30-of-42 at the foul line.  Martez Harrison led the team with 17 points, four assists and four steals before fouling out in just 24 minutes.  Five other players scored in double figures for the team including Reese Holliday who did most of his damage in overtime.  He finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The teams were evenly matched in terms of rebounds and turnovers.  There were 12 ties and 14 lead changes in the contest.  The teams combined for 64 fouls and seven players fouled out.  This was the first triple overtime game for UIW since a 96-94 win at St. Mary's on January 15, 2007.  Since joining Division I, the Cardinals are 7-0 in televised games.

The Cardinals are back in action on Monday night at Tulsa with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.

UIW All-time Points List

1. Kenneth Watson, 1991-95, 2243
2. Pierce Caldwell, 2006-10, 1873
3. Tripp Puhl, 1987-91, 1589
4. Sean Sullivan, 1986-89, 1514
5. Robert Tovar, 2000-04, 1350
6. Jesse Robinson, 1989-93, 1348
7. Tracy Robinson, 2007-11, 1333
8. Denzel Livingston, 2011-15, 1292
9. Edward Armstrong, 1996-00, 1274
10. Chris Johnson, 2000-04, 1268
11. Van Price, 1990-93, 1246
12. Randy Henderson, 1991-93, 1096
13. Russell Corley, 1994-98, 1047
14. Shaun Umeh, 2008-12, 1025

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