SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word's McDermott Convocation Center will be the site of a Saturday Southland Conference basketball doubleheader with UIW taking on Nicholls.  The women's game starts at 2 p.m. followed by the men's game at 4:30 p.m.

The UIW women are just 5-13 overall and 2-5 in the conference, but four of their conference losses have come by six points or less.  In their last time out, they suffered a 57-56 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in which they came back from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit and had three chances to win the game in the final nine seconds.  The Cardinals are averaging 57.1 points per game and allowing 63.3 points per game.

The Cardinals are led by the duo of Aricka Adams (Round Rock/Round Rock HS) and Brianna Williams (Wylie/Mesquite HS) who are averaging 13.2 and 12.9 points per game, respectively.  Yvonne Maosa (Arlington/Mansfield HS) has averaged 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in conference play and has a pair of double-doubles.

Nicholls enters the game with a 6-12 record and 4-4 mark in the Southland.  They are scoring 62.4 points per game and giving up 67.8 per game.  LiAnn McCarthy leads the team with 12.4 points per game while Cassidy Barrios fills the stat sheet with 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 45 assists and 33 steals.  Hope Pawlowski chips in with 9.9 points and 53 steals.  Nicholls won both matchups between the two teams last year.

The UIW men had their four game conference win streak snapped on Monday night in overtime at McNeese State.  They are 9-8 overall and 4-2 in the conference.  They are scoring 74.8 points per game and giving up 72.2 points per game.  Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) leads the team with 16.0 points and 5.9 rebounds while making 42 three-pointers.  Jontrell Walker (Aurora, IL/West Aurora HS) and Derail Green (Houston/Klein Forest HS) contribute 13.3 and 12.5 points per game, respectively.  Green, a power forward, is also shooting 51.4 percent from three-point range.  Shawn Johnson (New Orleans, LA/Alief Hastings HS) leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game and Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) averages 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

The Colonels are 5-16 on the season with a 1-6 mark in the league.  They are scoring 68.0 points per game and giving up 80.8 per game.  Ja'Dante' Frye leads the team with 15.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while T.J. Carpenter has 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.  Liam Thomas has blocked 38 shots on the season.  The Cardinals swept the season series from Nicholls last year.

The games will be web streamed for free at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/uiw/ and the live audio is on TSRNSports.com.  The men's game is the annual Suits & Sneakers Day to help raise cancer awareness for the American Cancer Society and the NABC.  It is part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative that is tasked to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living among students, faculty, school staff, fans, and the community at large, through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
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