SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The UIW men's basketball team snapped their five-game losing streak in a big way Saturday afternoon, defeating Sam Houston, 69-53, at the McDermott Convocation Center.

NEWS AND NOTES

UIW (11-15 overall, 6-9 SLC) shot 55 percent in the first half compared to just 28 percent for the Bearkats (18-10 overall, 9-5 SLC). The 53 points by SHSU were the fewest allowed by UIW all season, as the Cardinals had allowed 61 points to Howard Payne back in November. With the women's defeat of SHSU earlier in the day, it marked the first doubleheader sweep by the Cardinals since both teams defeated Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La., on Jan. 16, 2016.

HOW IT HAPPENED

SHSU's lone lead in the game came one minute into the contest, as Torry Butler's layup put the Bearkats up 5-4. A steal leading to a fastbreak dunk by Shawn Johnson, followed by a Tyler Singleton trey gave UIW a seven-point lead, 12-5, just 35 seconds later. The Bearkats pulled within six, but back-to-back triples by Simi Socks and Jorden Kite were part of a 13-6 UIW run to put the Cardinals ahead 28-15 with 8:34 left in the first half.

Jalin Hart's jumper at the 4:21-mark gave UIW a 16-point advantage and forced SHSU to call a timeout. But that didn't slow down the Cardinals as Johnson blocked a shot which led to a transition three-pointer by Singleton for a 19-point lead, 37-18, for the hosts. A pair of Bearkat free throws with less than a minute to go made the score 37-20 as the teams entered the locker room.

In the second half, Johnson played "like a man possessed," according to assistant coach John Smith, as the New Orleans native posted a double-double in the half, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cardinals didn't take the foot off the gas starting the second half, as Socks hit a long ball at the 19:27-mark. The Bearkats came within 13 following an Albert Almanza jumper, but UIW used a 10-2 run to take a 54-33 lead midway through the second half, culminated by a Kite three-pointer. Sam Burmeister's triple at the 2:48-mark gave UIW its largest lead of the game, 69-47.

LEADERS

Singleton was tied for the game high with 16 points, finishing just three points shy of matching his career high. Johnson registered a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while also posting four blocked shots. Hart finished with 14 points and Socks finished with 10. As a team, the Cardinals shot 39 percent from the floor.
Torry Butler paced the Bearkat offense with 16 points, while Chris Galbreath, Jr. added 10. The Bearkats shot 33 percent from the floor.

UP NEXT

UIW hosts Nicholls on Thursday at 7 p.m. on Senior Day, where Jerred Kite and Phillip Johnson will be honored prior to the contest.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals play at Abilene Christian on March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

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