Lubbock, Texas – UIW men's basketball pulled to within eight points with 13 minutes left in regulation, but Texas Tech closed the game on a 21-8 run to defeat the Cardinals, 69-48, before over 6,300 fans at United Supermarkets Arena Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

TTU (6-1) jumped out to a 13-2 lead five minutes into the game. The Cardinals cut the deficit to seven following a Devin Wyatt layup, but the Red Raiders used a 23-6 run to take a 38-14 lead with 2:32 left in the first half. The Cardinals battled back and closed the half on a 9-0 run to trail TTU 38-25 at the break.

UIW (2-3) used a 9-4 run to start the second half to pull within eight, 40-32, with 17:02 remaining. Following a Red Raider layup to push their lead to 10, a Shawn Johnson steal followed by a Simi Socks fast-break layup cut the deficit back to eight.

An old fashioned three-point play by Tyler Singleton cut the Red Raider lead back down to eight, 48-40, with 13:46 remaining, but TTU scored five straight and 21 of the final 29 points to come away with the win.

LEADERS

Jorden Kite scored a career-high 12 points for UIW on 4-of-9 shooting, all from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes. Socks also dropped 12, as he went 5-of-12 from the floor and made both free throw attempts, while pulling down four rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Singleton added eight points, as the Cardinals as a team shot 37 percent from the floor.

Both Justin Gray and Shadell Millinghaus paced the Red Raider offense with 14 points apiece. Zach Smith added 13 while Keenan Evans chipped in 11. Millinghaus was the top rebounder with seven. As a team, TTU shot 48 percent from the floor.

UP NEXT

UIW opens a three-game home stand Saturday against LIU Brooklyn. First tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. and is the second part of a Cardinal basketball doubleheader.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals conclude their home stretch with games against Texas Lutheran (Dec. 7) and Texas A&M International (Dec. 10).

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