SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Big games from Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) and Shawn Johnson (New Orleans, LA/Alief Hastings HS) led the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball to an 89-70 win over visiting Southland Conference rival Lamar University on Saturday at the McDermott Center.

The Cardinals (15-11, 10-5) started sluggishly with just seven points in the first seven minutes of the game, but then they started to get rolling and they took a 21-20 lead when Simi Socks (Coppell/Coppell HS) found Sam Burmeister (San Antonio/Churchill HS) on a backdoor cut for a layup with 7:56 remaining in the first half.  UIW would never trail again.  Socks provided the team with a big lift off the bench in the first half with 10 points and six rebounds and UIW went into the break with a 38-30 lead.

In the second half, Lamar (11-17, 3-13) scored the first four points, but then UIW scored the next nine points starting with a fast break layup by Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) and concluding with a fast break layup from Hittle.  Hittle hit two three-pointers sandwiched around a three-pointer by Burmeister to push the lead to 16 points for Incarnate Word.

The Cardinals continued to knock down shot after shot in the second half, but Lamar was able to stay in the game thanks to the play of Preston Mattingly who scored 16 points in the second half.  Hittle and Johnson were able to answer Mattingly at every turn.  Johnson scored seven straight points at one stretch with a three-pointer followed by back-to-back alley-oop dunks.  Mattingly scored on a conventional three-point play with 2:34 remaining to make it 79-70 in favor of the UIW.

Incarnate Word closed the game on a 10-0 run getting a layup from Johnson followed by three-pointers from Jontrell Walker (Aurora, IL/West Aurora HS) and Hittle to put the game away.

The Cardinals clinched a winning record for the third straight season at the Division I level with the win.  They shot 54.5 percent from the field, made 14-of-24 from three-point range and were 15-of-16 at the foul line.  Hittle finished the game with 30 points and seven rebounds while making 10-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range.  Johnson added 16 points and five blocks in just 25 minutes.  Badillo, Socks and Walker all scored in double figures with Badillo dishing out seven of the team's 22 assists.  UIW grabbed nine more rebounds than Lamar and committed six more turnovers.

Lamar shot 39.3 percent from the field, made 5-of-17 from the three-point arc and went 17-of-24 from the foul line.  Mattingly led the team with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor.  Quan Jones added 11 points.

The Cardinals are back in action on Monday at 6:05 p.m. at home against Stephen F. Austin.  The game will be shown on the American Sports Network.
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