HOUSTON, TEXAS – Tyler Russell's driving layup with 3.9 seconds left in overtime thwarted the University of the Incarnate Word's remarkable comeback bid.  Houston Baptist won the Southland Conference men's basketball matchup, 78-77 at Sharp Gym.

The Cardinals (18-10, 10-8) fell behind by 23 points in the first half and were down by 17 points at halftime.  They were down 47-27 when they started on the comeback trail.  A 12-2 run cut the Huskies' lead down to 10 points, 49-39 with 15:21 left in regulation.  UIW continued to cut into the lead and trailed by one point after a three-pointer from Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) with 6:54 left.

UIW took their first lead of the second half on a dunk by Traylin Farris (Pearland/Pearland HS) with 5:20 to play.  HBU quickly tied it and the score stood at 64-64 with 3:55 left in regulation when both teams stopped scoring.  The Huskies took a 2-point lead on a layup by Reveal Cjukwujeku.  The Cardinals would tie the game with 1:05 left in regulation.  In the final minute, each team had blocked shots to keep the game tied and sent it to overtime.

In the extra period, the Cardinals scored first on Mitchell Badillo's (Houston/Cy Falls HS) layup, but neither team could take control.  UIW trailed 74-73 with 38 seconds to play when Livingston stole a pass and Shawn Johnson (Gretna, LA/Alief Hastings HS) followed up his missed shot with 33 seconds left.  The Huskies quickly pushed the ball down the floor and Ricmonds Vilde scored on a layup with 27 ticks remaining.

The Cardinals reclaimed the lead when Badillo dished off to Traylin Farris (Pearland/Manvel HS) for a short jumper with 15 seconds left.  Russell scored the winning basket when he drove from the right wing and his high-arcing running layup when just over the outstretched hands of Livingston and banked in.  Badillo attempted a runner from 15 feet, but it came up short giving the Huskies the win on the final day of the regular season.

The Cardinals shot 43.9 percent from the field, made 3-of-11 from three-point range and were 16-of-27 at the foul line.  Livingston led the team with 21 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks.  Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) had a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Farris finished with 16 points, nine boards, three blocks and four steals while Johnson had 13 points and six rebounds.  Badillo added nine points and eight assists.

The Huskies shot 41.7 percent from the field, made 9-of-19 from three-point range and were 9-of-16 at the foul line.  Marcel Smith knocked down five three-pointers in the first half and finished with 22 points.  Anthony Odunsi had 18 points, four assists and three steals.  Vilde and Russell each had 12 points while Josh Ibarra had 12 rebounds and blocked three shots.

The Cardinals had nine blocks and 14 steals while the Huskies had eight blocks and eight steals.  UIW had three more rebounds than HBU.

The Cardinals have concluded the regular and will wait to hear if they get a bid to the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament.  They are not eligible to play in the Southland or NCAA tournaments until the 2017-18 season.
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