San Antonio, Texas – UIW used a 20-1 run that spanned seven minutes as the Cardinals erased a five-point halftime deficit and snapped their five-game skid in the process, in an 84-80 win over Northwestern State Thursday night in Southland Conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

NSU (6-7 overall, 0-2 SLC) jumped to a 12-5 lead just five minutes into the contest, highlighted by a three-point play by Tra'von Joseph and back-to-back layups by Josh Boyd. UIW (6-8 overall, 1-2  SLC) battled back and tied the game 14-all following a Shawn Johnson jumper. On the next Demon possession, Tyler Singleton forced a steal and went in for a fast break layup as the Cardinals led, 16-14, with 9:10 left in the opening half.

NSU tied the game at 21-all at the 5:48-mark and led by as many as seven late in the half. UIW brought the deficit down to two following free throws by Singleton and Simi Socks, but Reginald Kissoonlal nailed the trey with three seconds remaining for the five-point Demon halftime lead, 38-33.

UIW dominated the first 11 minutes of the second half. Following an Ishmael Lane layup to give the Demons a 42-35 advantage at the 18:05-mark, UIW lit it up offensively, using a 20-1 run to take its largest lead of the game, 55-43, with 11:04 remaining. The Cardinals, who struggled beyond the arc in the first half, were on fire during the run, as Jorden Kite hit back-to-back-to-back long balls, as Singleton and Jalin Hart made fantastic passes in transition.

Following an NSU timeout, the Demons battled back and outscored UIW, 14-3, to tie the game at 61-all with 5:49 left in regulation. With the teams in a 66-all deadlock, UIW used a 7-0 run to take a 73-66 lead with 2:41 remaining, thanks in large part to an NSU technical foul following a regular foul in the bonus and Kite making all four free throws. Devonte Hall's triple cut the Cardinal lead to just two, 82-80, with two seconds left, but Kite was fouled and made both free throws to seal the win.

LEADERS

Both Kite and Hart paced the UIW offense with 15 points apiece, while Socks added 14 and Johnson chipped in with 12. Socks led the Cardinals by tying his career high of eight rebounds. As a team, the Cardinals shot 43 percent from the floor in the game. The 51 second-half points matched the season high set against St. Edward's on Nov. 15.

Hall scored a game-high 23 points to lead NSU, as he was one of five Demons in double figures, followed by Lane (13), Joseph (10), Sabri Thompson (10), and Jordan Bell (10). Iziahiah Sweeney pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. As a team, the Demons shot 45 percent from the floor in the contest.

QUOTES

Assistant Coach John Smith on the hard-fought win
"Let me just say that I will take the W any way we can get it. This could be the start of something special. We definitely needed that win to build some momentum with a tough New Orleans team coming in. Take care of business at home on Saturday and we're 2-2, back at .500 and back in business. Our guys did a commendable job down the stretch."

Redshirt freshman guard Jorden Kite
"We came in knowing we let two road games – Nicholls and Southeastern – slip away from us. All week we were prepared; our coaches did a great job getting us ready. I think we brought the right mindset tonight.

"My teammates have had confidence in me from the beginning. My teammates came up to me tonight and said 'you gotta shoot the ball and be more aggressive.' I think once I hit those threes and the free throws, everyone got contagious. Simi hit a three, Sam hit a three, and it seemed everyone was hitting shots."

UP NEXT

UIW hosts a New Orleans team that is undefeated in Southland Conference play at 3-0, on Saturday at 3 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals play at Lamar on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.