Box Score NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – Jacob Parker's tip-in with one second remaining on the clock thwarted University of the Incarnate Word's upset bid at Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night in Southland Conference men's basketball action.  SFA won the game, 76-74 for their 17^th straight victory and 28^th straight win at Johnson Coliseum.

The final two minutes of the game were as exciting as it gets.  Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) put the Cardinals (16-5, 4-4) up 71-70 with 1:51 to play on a layup.  Parker put the Jacks (20-2, 9-0) back up by one by making a pair of free throws.  After a missed three-pointer by UIW, Parker grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled again.  His two free throws gave SFA a 74-71 lead with 38 seconds remaining. 

Livingston answered with a game-tying three-pointer with a defender in his face with 28 seconds left.  SFA played for one shot and got an off-balance jumper from the left side of the lane that missed, but Parker was right there on the opposite side of the rim for the game-winning tip.

The game opened with the Jacks scoring the first 11 points.  They led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but an 8-0 run to close the half would bring the Cardinals to within four points at halftime.

In the second half, the Jacks would quickly push the lead back up to 14 points with 16:37 to play on a pair of free throws by Haymon.  SFA continued to hold a double digit lead until a 16-2 run by the Cardinals would give the visitors a 61-58 lead with 7:34 left on a layup by Sam Burmeister (San Antonio/Churchill HS).  A Burmeister three-pointer with 4:06 to play pushed the UIW lead to seven points.

The Jacks quickly cut the lead to a point after back-to-back three-pointers by Deshaunt Walker in a 10-second span with 3:35 remaining to set the stage for the final frantic minutes.

The Cardinals shot 57.1 percent from the field, made 7-of-15 three-point attempts and were 19-of-25 at the free throw line.  Livingston finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 7-of-11 from the field.  Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) added 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.  UIW had 32 rebounds and committed 17 turnovers.

The Jacks shot 41.5 percent from the field, went 9-of-23 from three-point range and were 13-of-18 at the foul line.  Nikola Gajic led the team with 23 points and nine rebounds while Parker finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Haymond chipped in with 13 points while Trey Pinkney dished out nine assists.  SFA had 30 rebounds and committed eight turnovers.

Livingston posted his 12^th straight game with at least 17 points and it was his fifth consecutive game with at least 20 points.  He has moved into 14^th place on the UIW career scoring list with 954 points.

The Cardinals are back in action on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home.
####
pr14050smm