SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Despite four Cardinals in double figures, led by Jalin Hart's 23, visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot a scorching 61 percent from the floor – including 67 percent in the second half – en route to a 97-81 victory over UIW men's basketball Wednesday night from the McDermott Convocation Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half featured a back-and-forth affair with six ties. A pair of free throws by Simi Socks gave UIW a 31-30 lead at the 6:34-mark, the first lead the Cardinals had since 2-0. The Islanders scored eight of the next nine points to take a 38-32 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first half.

UIW battled back and tied the game at 38-all, but the run was quickly answered by a Cole Martinez three-pointer. TAMUCC led by as many as four with 1:23 remaining, but the Cardinals closed the half on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a heads-up play by Tyler Singleton, who forced a foul while shooting a long-range three-pointer with one second to go, which  turned a two-point UIW deficit to a one-point Cardinal lead, 45-44, at the break.

The second half was a different ordeal, however, as TAMUCC shot 67 percent from the floor (22-for-33) and outscored the Cardinals, 53-36. The Islanders outscored the Cardinals, 24-6, in points in the paint in the half, while Rashawn Thomas, who had three fouls at the break, still went on to score 24 of his game-high 32 points in the second half.

UIW led by three early in the second half, but TAMUCC's Thomas hit a jumper to put the Islanders up 52-50 with 18:06 left in regulation and never looked back. The Cardinals kept fighting and came as close as five following a pair of Singleton free throws at the 5:34-mark, but TAMUCC used a 7-1 run to bring its lead back to double digits.
LEADERS

UIW (10-15 overall, 5-9 SLC) was led by Hart's 23 points. Sam Burmeister came off the bench to score a season-best 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He pulled own three rebounds and posted four assists (tied season high) and a season-best two steals. Singleton scored 13, highlighted by a 7-for-7 performance at the charity stripe, and 14 points for Socks, which extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games. Shawn Johnson just missed scoring in double figures, finishing with nine, but registered a season-high five blocked shots.

TAMUCC (15-9 overall, 8-5 SLC) was paced by Thomas' 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting and being perfect from beyond the arc and the line. Ehab Amin nearly registered a double-double with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

UIW hosts Sam Houston on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. on Military Appreciation Day.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals will host Senior Day on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. against Nicholls.

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