SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team trailed by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, before storming back in dramatic fashion to take a 69-63 victory over Nicholls on Senior Day.
 
HOW IT WAS WON
 
Senior Cheyenne Berry started things off with a bang, taking a pass from senior Tanjunique Ajeto and knocking down a three-pointer just 22 seconds into the action. After a defensive stop, Haley Frias drilled a shot from deep, putting the Cardinals (9-18, 7-9 SLC) up by six and capturing the UIW single-season record for made threes in the process.
 
The Colonels (8-18, 5-10 SLC) absorbed the Cardinals' blow and countered, outscoring UIW, 19-5, over the remainder of the quarter to secure a 19-11 lead after one.
 
Nicholls scored the first five points of the second to take a 13-point advantage, but senior Celia Garcia Paunero hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc and Freshman of the Year frontrunner Imani Robinson slipped inside for a layup to cut the lead to five.
 
With 3:49 remaining in the frame, Haley Frias knocked down a three-pointer that pulled the Cardinals within three, but the Colonels closed out the period on another strong run, outscoring UIW, 13-3, over the final minutes.
 
Nicholls took a 40-27 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Cardinals shot just 35.7 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 50.0 percent from the free throw line over the first 20 minutes. In stark comparison the Colonels shot 50.0 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. Nicholls had more points in the paint (14-6), more fast break points (6-3) and more second chance points (4-2) at the break. The Colonels forced UIW into 11 first-half turnovers, and converted those miscues into a 17-3 edge on points off turnovers.
 
Garcia Paunero nailed a jumper to open the second half, but Nicholls continued to pull away, and with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter, the Colonels gained their largest lead of the night at 18 points.
 
Then, Robinson came to life.
 
The Round Rock native had just two points with just over three minutes remaining in the third, but scored 21 over the final 13:21 of the contest. Over the final 3:21 of the third quarter alone, Robinson outscored Nicholls, 6-0.
 
The stoppage between quarters didn't slow Robinson down, as she opened the fourth with a jumper to cut the Colonels' advantage to 10.
 
Nicholls responded with six straight points, grabbing a 56-40 lead with just 7:35 remaining in the ballgame.
 
Just when it looked as though the game was slipping away, the Cardinals flipped a switch, outscoring the Colonels, 29-7 over the final 7:08.
 
And while Robinson dominated the final frame, the victory was a complete team effort as Berry, Garcia Paunero, Ajeto, Frias, Melina Merritt, Alexandra Busby-Leija and Cassandra Ramirez all had key contributions down the stretch.
 
At the 1:28 mark of the fourth, Frias knocked down her third triple of the night off of a pass from Garcia Paunero and gave UIW a lead it would not surrender. Berry and Garcia Paunero sank four clutch free throws and fittingly, Robinson scored the final bucket for the Cardinals on a fast-break layup with 19 seconds left.
 
THE BREAKDOWN
 
UIW shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from deep, while holding Nicholls to 39.0 percent and 38.5 percent respectively. The Cardinals shot 70.0 percent from the charity stripe, compared to only 50.0 percent by the Colonels.
 
UIW won the battle of the boards, 44-32. The Cardinals finished with an 11-6 edge on fast break points and picked up a dominant 23-3 advantage on bench points. Nicholls held onto a 17-9 edge on points off turnovers, despite being outscored 6-0 on points off turnovers by UIW in the second half.
 
LEADERS
 
Two days after earning her second Southland Conference Player of the Week nod, Garcia Paunero registered in her 17^th double-double of the season, pouring in a 20-point, 22-rebound effort. It was her second 20-20 performance in as many games. Garcia Paunero added one block, one assist and one steal. Robinson contributed a team-high 23 points, to go along with five boards, one block and one assist. Berry turned in a 12-point, nine-rebound performance, while dishing out five assists on the night. Frias finished with 11 points, three assists and three steals, while Ajeto chipped in five boards, three points, one assist and one steal in the win.
 
Cassidy Barrios paced the Colonels with 20 points and seven rebounds. Taylor Morrison led the team with five assists in the loss.
 
QUOTES
 
SENIOR CHEYENNE BERRY ON THE TEAM'S LATE COMEBACK
 
"It definitely wasn't the game plan. We were definitely supposed to take care of business a different way, but it just starts from within. We've got coaches that just keep us headstrong. Without them we couldn't do what we just did. Great things are to come for this program."
 
BERRY ON HER FINAL HOME GAME
 
"It was a lot of fun. I've never experienced a comeback like that. We're just going to enjoy it tonight."
 
HEAD COACH CHRISTY SMITH ON THE COMEBACK
 
"I think our intensity changed. I think they came out in that fourth quarter and realized, this is it. We put Cassandra Ramirez in and she just changed the speed of the game for us. Once we started pressing I think we became more aggressive defensively and it just helped us finish out."
 
COACH SMITH ON THE PROGRAM'S PROGRESS THIS SEASON
 
"These young ladies really work hard and they get after it. We're very proud of their effort and their focus and their willingness to learn. It was tough at first, but I think they're starting to catch onto everything. We struggled here in this game for three quarters, but they changed their mindset in the last quarter and were able to do something that a lot of teams would have quit on."
 
UP NEXT
 
The Cardinals will travel to Abilene Christian for a rivalry matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1.
 
STAY TUNED
 
UIW closes out its historic season at the coast with a showdown against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 4.
 
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.