Box Score ABILENE, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team closed out their inaugural season in NCAA Division I with a 90-79 loss at Southland Conference rival Abilene Christian on Saturday at the Moody Coliseum.
Despite shooting a season-high 50.9 percent from the field, the Cardinals (8-19, 2-12) never led against the Wildcats (18-12, 8-6). ACU scored the first nine points of the game before UIW scored on a layup by
Kosisio Mora (Grand Prairie/Arlington Bowie HS) with 17:56 left in the first half.
The Cardinals cut the lead to two points after a 12-0 run at the 11:00 mark on a jumper by
Rose Whitehead (Grapevine/Grapevine HS). They would get as close as two points on two other occasions in the first half, including with seven seconds left on a layup by
Joslinn Douglas (Austin/Del Valle HS), but Jessica Elkins hit a jumper at the buzzer to send ACU into halftime with a 42-38 lead.
In the second half, the Wildcats came out strong and built up a 21-point lead with 8:43 remaining on a three-pointer by Whitney West. The Cardinals got back into the game with a 13-3 run over the next three minutes. They cut the lead to 79-72 with 4:19 left on a three-pointer by
Katie Novak (Homer Glen, IL/Lockport Township HS), but that was as close as they would get.
All five seniors for the Cardinals scored in double figures. They team went 7-of-19 from three-point range and was 16-of-22 at the foul line. Mora led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds while her twin sister,
Ifunanya Mora, added 12 points and four rebounds. Douglas finished with 15 points and four assists on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. Whitehead and Novak each had 14 points.
The Wildcats shot 52.5 percent from the field, made 9-of-23 from three-point range and went 19-of-23 at the foul line. They had six players score in double figures. Lizzy Dimba led the team with 18 points while her sister, Suzzy, had 12 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Renata Marquez added 15 points, five rebounds and six assists.
####
pr14139smm
