SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle against rival Houston Baptist, 58-56, on Wednesday night at the McDermott Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Cardinals (3-16, 2-6 SLC) had four chances in the final 26 seconds to either tie or win the ballgame, but the Huskies (6-12, 2-6 SLC) capitalized on a number of close calls and made just enough plays down the stretch to escape with the victory.
 
Melina Merritt opened the contest with a three-pointer off of a feed from Sydnee Wynn. UIW played with high energy from the start, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter.
 
HBU immediately punched back with a 9-0 run, capturing both the momentum and the lead.
 
Imani Robinson converted an and-one opportunity to tie the contest, but the Huskies knocked down a jumper in the final seconds and held a 14-12 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
 
Robinson sank a pair of free throws that tied the game just 45 seconds into the second quarter. Two minutes later, a jumper by Robinson gave the Cardinals a 16-15 lead.
 
With 5:37 remaining in the half, Robinson hit a layup to tie the game at 19 apiece, but HBU closed out the quarter on an eight-point run to secure a 27-19 advantage at the break.
 
UIW stormed out of the locker room with an aggressive offensive mentality. Wynn hit a jumper in the paint, and after a wild sequence of turnovers, Robinson came up with a steal and finished with a jumper.
 
At the 5:22 mark, Robinson took a pass from Haley Frias and nailed a shot from beyond the arc, pulling the Cardinals within two.
 
The Huskies responded, quickly increasing their advantage to six with 3:52 remaining in the period.
 
Charmaine McBride came off the bench and sparked UIW with back-to-back fadeaway jumpers, but again HBU pushed its lead to six.
 
After the Huskies took a four-point lead, Gabbi Bowie stepped up with four consecutive points for the Cardinals to tie the contest at 36.
 
At the 1:09 mark, Kara Speer got in on the action with a three-pointer that put UIW ahead, 39-36, but HBU countered with a shot from long range to lock the game in another tie.
 
Robinson recaptured the advantage with a pair of made attempts at the charity stripe, but the Huskies answered with a pair of their own.
 
After 30 minutes of action, the contest was tied, 41-41.
 
HBU opened the final frame with a jumper, but Wynn quickly responded with a bucket of her own.
 
The Huskies took a two-point lead, before Robinson picked up her fourth foul of the night and was forced to sub out with 7:01 remaining in the game.
 
HBU took advantage of Robinson's absence, ballooning their advantage to seven points before she could reenter.
 
With 2:06 left in the contest, the Huskies held a 55-48 lead, but the Cardinals never conceded, incrementally chipping away until the final buzzer.
 
With four seconds remaining, a Merritt layup pulled UIW within one, 57-56, but after a free throw from HBU, a last-second three-point attempt by the Cardinals' did not fall.
 
THE BREAKDOWN
 
UIW shot 29.4 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from long range, compared to 40.9 percent and 60 percent for HBU. The Cardinals shot 75.5 percent from the charity stripe, but only had 16 free throw opportunities, compared to 29 for the visiting Huskies.
 
UIW narrowly won the battle of the boards, 42-40, but dominated offensive rebounds, 21-11. The Cardinals earned a 9-5 edge on second chance points and a 24-20 advantage on points in the paint. UIW took care of the ball, committing only 15 turnovers, compared to 21 by HBU.
 
LEADERS
 
Robinson poured in career-highs in both boards (12) and steals (5), while falling one-point shy of her career mark in points, with 22. She added a pair of assists in the loss. Wynn contributed 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and an assist, while Merritt added 11 points, 3 steals and 3 assists. Frias paced the squad with 5 assists, two go along with 7 boards and 2 steals.
 
Amanda Johnson led HBU with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Cardinals host New Orleans at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27. The matchup will serve as UIW's annual Cancer Awareness Game, where the team supports Play 4 Kay, an organization that benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Tickets will be sold at a discounted rate of $5.
 
STAY TUNED
 
The Cardinals welcome Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to San Antonio for a 1 p.m. bout on Saturday, Feb. 3.
 
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.