NEW ORLEANS, La. – New Orleanians Shawn Johnson and Charles Brown III made the most of their return home Saturday against the Privateers. The duo combined for 35 points and 11 rebounds, but the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball lost a tough one in the Big Easy, 74-70.

HOW IT HAPPENED

New Orleans' (9-10 overall, 5-2 SLC) Ezekiel Charles three-pointer sandwiched between a pair of Johnson triples turned a one-point UNO advantage to a three-point UIW (5-12, 0-7) early in the contest.

The teams were knotted at 8- and 10-all before the Cardinals used a 9-0 run and force the Privateers to call a timeout trailing 19-10 with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half. Konstantin Kulikov started the run with a layup, then Keaton Hervey's steal-then-dunk gave UIW all the momentum.

UIW led by as many as 10 before UNO made a run, starting with a Bryson Robinson triple, as the Privateers outscored the Cardinals, 12-5, to make it a two-point deficit, 28-26, with 4:48 left in the half. But Brown III took the team on its back at that point: scoring a basket on the next UIW possession, then blocking a shot and scoring again to bring the Cardinal lead back up six, 32-26, with 3:36 remaining.

The Privateers eventually tied the game at 32-all following a Charles three-pointer with 2:09 left in the first half, but the Cardinals held on, as UIW entered the locker room up by four, 38-34.

The Cardinals remained in the lead until the 12:48-mark of the second half, as Charles' layup tied the game at 48-all. On the ensuing UIW possession, Travin Thibodeaux forced a steal and threw down a dunk to give UNO its first lead since early in the contest.

The teams would tie it up at 50 and 52 before UNO scored five unanswered to take a 57-52 lead with 7:28 left in regulation. Back-to-back baskets from Keaton Hervey brought the Cardinals within one, but a Lamont Berzat three-pointer halted the UIW mini-run. UIW came within a point on two separate occasions (60-59; 62-61), but a 5-0 run late for the Privateers sealed the win for the hosts.
 
LEADERS

Johnson led all scorers with a season-high 22 points on 70 percent shooting (7-for-10), including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also pulled down six rebounds and had two assists and two blocks. Hervey finished one point shy of his career of 20, as he shot 54 percent from the floor. Kulikov had a career night, as he set new career highs in points (14), rebounds (9), and blocks (3), as he shot 88 percent from the floor (7-for-8). Not to be outdone, Brown III finished with 11 points on 50 percent shooting and 83 percent from the free throw line. He registered five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

New Orleans' leading scorer, Thibodeaux, scored 21 points with eight rebounds to lead the Privateers.

UP NEXT

UIW heads to HBU for the first of two meetings with the Huskies, on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals and Privateers meet at the McDermott Center for a 2:05 p.m. first tip on Saturday, Jan. 27, streamed live on Eleven Sports. The game will be the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers game, where fans can come to the game for a discounted price of $5.

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