San Antonio, Texas – The UIW men's basketball team shot 59 percent in the second half and outscored LIU Brooklyn, 49-34, in that time frame, to erase a four-point halftime deficit and defeat the Blackbirds, 90-79, Saturday afternoon from the McDermott Convocation Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
LIU scored the game's first six points and led for the game's first 36 minutes, as the Blackbirds led by as many as eight.
 
After a Tyler Singleton layup cut the Cardinals' deficit to one, Devin Wyatt blocked the next LIU possession which led to a three-pointer by Shawn Johnson to give UIW its first lead of the game, 68-66, with 6:17 left in regulation.
 
The teams battled through two ties in the next two minutes and, with the teams knotted at 71 apiece, UIW closed the game outscoring the Blackbirds, 11-8, which included a 10-2 run to take an 81-73 lead with 1:36 left in the game.
 
LEADERS
 
UIW (3-3) shot 50 percent from the floor and had its five starters score in double figures, led by Simi Socks with a team-best 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-for-4 from the line. He pulled down eight rebounds and dished out three assists in 26 minutes. Shawn Johnson scored 17 points with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Jorden Kite scored a career-high 14 points, while Jalin Hart scored 12 points with a personal best seven rebounds. Devin Wyatt rounded out the quintet with a career-high 10 points. Off the bench, Jerred Kite posted a career-high five blocks, all in the first half, which were two shy of matching the school record.
 
LIU (6-2) was paced by Jashaun Agosto with 22 points, while Jerome Frink scored 17 and Iverson Fleming chipped in with 10. Nura Zanna was the top rebounder for the Blackbirds, with seven boards. As a team, the Blackbirds shot 48 percent from the floor in the game.
 
QUOTES
OVERALL THOUGHTS FROM ASSISTANT COACH JOHN SMITH
 
"LIU Brooklyn is extremely talented. At halftime we made some adjustments. There was a lot of back and forth going on, but we made some adjustments and made shots. Any time you have five guys in double figures, it's going to make you harder. Kudos to our guys."
 
UP NEXT
 
UIW hosts Texas Lutheran on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
 
STAY TUNED
 
The Cardinals close their three-game home stand on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. versus Texas A&M International.
 
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