HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team nearly pulled off their fourth double-digit comeback of the season, but they came up a little short in an 84-78 loss at Sam Houston State on Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.

The Southland Conference opener for both teams went from a close game to a potential blow out to a nail-biter very quickly in the second half.  The Bearkats (9-4, 1-0) led by as many as 13 points in the first half before taking a 47-38 lead into halftime.   

The Cardinals (8-3, 0-1) started the second well and pulled to within 57-55 after a Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) three-pointer with 13:59 left in the game.  The Bearkats responded with an 18-2 run over the next six minutes capped by a Kaheem Ransom three-pointer with 7:52 to play making it 75-57.

Instead of giving up, the Cardinals buckled down once again by scoring 19 of the next 21 points.  They pulled to within a point of Sam Houston on a tip-in by Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) with 1:56 left.  The teams traded buckets and then DeMarcus Gatlin scored on a layup to give the Bearkats an 81-78 lead with 50 seconds to play.

The Cardinals missed a layup and were then forced to foul.  SHSU would only make 2-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds, but the Cardinals missed all three of their shot attempts.
UIW shot 41.0 percent from the field, made 6-of-19 from three-point range and they were 22-of-30 from the foul line.  Livingston led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) had a strong game off the bench with 15 points and four assists.  Hittle added 13 points and eight boards while Shawn Johnson (Gretna, LA/Alief Hasting HS) added 10 points and six rebounds.

The Bearkats shot 46.8 percent from the field, made 7-of-22 three-point attempts and went 19-of-34 from the foul line.  All five starters scored in double figures led by Paul Baxter's 17 points.  Gatlin finished with a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Michael Holyfield added 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.  SHSU committed three more turnovers than UIW, but had eight more rebounds.

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday at Northwestern State at 3 p.m.
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