HOUSTON, Texas – HBU forced 14 the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball turnovers and turned them into 27 points, as the Huskies defeated the Cardinals, 102-86, Wednesday evening from Sharp Gym.

HOW IT HAPPENED

HBU (5-16 overall, 1-7 SLC) had two steals in the first 68 seconds of the contest and took advantage the second time, as David Caraher hit a three-pointer. Shawn Johnson answered with a trey of his own to tie the game for UIW (5-13, 0-8), but was answered with another long ball by Caraher.

Three pointers by Johnson and Jorden Kite highlighted a 14-6 Cardinal run to put them ahead by three, 17-12, with 12:57 left in the opening half. But HBU answered back and outscored UIW, 19-5, for a 31-22 advantage with 6:33 remaining.

Back-to-back jumpers from Konstantin Kulikov started a 6-0 run for UIW to cut the deficit to three, but the Huskies increased their lead back up to 12 (42-30) and led by eight at the break.

The second half featured both teams shooting 58 percent from the floor or greater and 108 total points. Eighteen of Charles Brown III's team-high 22 points came from the second frame. UIW trailed by as few as three and didn't get within single digits with eight minutes left in regulation.

LEADERS

For the third time in the last four games, Brown III scored at least 20 points, as he went 9-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free throw line. He finished tied for the game high of nine rebounds. Johnson scored 16, while Cody Graham scored 14 off the bench.

HBU had four players score in double figures, three with at least 20 points. Jalon Gates dropped a game-high 23, followed by 22 from both Braxton Bonds and Caraher. Ian DuBose pulled down nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

UIW looks to rebound with a second matchup with New Orleans for a 2:05 p.m. first tip on Saturday, Jan. 27, streamed live on the Southland Digital Network. 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.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.

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.