SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Despite a game-high 21 points from Charles Brown III and a career-best 15 points from Cody Graham, visiting Sam Houston State shot 66 percent (19-for-29) in the second half to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit and defeat the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball, 85-74, Saturday afternoon from the McDermott Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The first half saw a back-and-forth affair, with six ties and eight lead changes. With the two teams deadlocked at 22 with under seven remaining in the opening half, back-to-back three-pointers from Keaton Hervey and Shawn Johnson gave UIW (5-8 overall, 0-3 SLC) a six-point lead, forcing Sam Houston (8-8, 2-1) to take a timeout. The breather didn't help, as Abrian Edwards had the ball stolen from him by Sam Burmeister, resulting in a Hervey layup and an eight-point Cardinal lead with 5:37 to go.
 
A dunk from Hervey gave UIW a nine-point lead, then a Brown III dunk put the Cardinals ahead by 11 (40-29) with 90 seconds remaining, but Sam Houston scored the final four points of the half to bring the deficit to seven (40-33).
 
UIW kept a stranglehold on the lead, as a Marcus Harris jumper finally put the Bearkats within one score, 48-45, five minutes into the second half. Edwards' layup at the 14:05-mark gave SHSU the lead, 51-50, but was called for a technical running back on defense. Hervey made one of two free throws to tie the game at 51-all.
 
One minute later, Bearkat head coach, Jason Hooten, was called for a technical after arguing a call, resulting in Johnson making both free throws to put UIW back up ahead, 53-51. On the ensuing Cardinal possession, Brown III made a layup for a four-point home advantage.
 
Both teams traded baskets and UIW kept the lead until a layup by Jamal Williams at the 8:16-mark started a back-breaking 10-2 run to give SHSU a 70-64 lead and force UIW to call a timeout, trying to slow down the momentum. The timeout did little to stop the Bearkat offense, as they outscored the Cardinals, 10-7, in two minutes to take a nine-point lead (80-71), highlighted by four 3-pointers by the Bearkats.
 
LEADERS

Brown III scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 9-for-12 from the charity stripe. It was the most points he had scored since his Cardinal debut against Southwestern, where he dropped 24. Graham, in his first collegiate start, went 4-for-6 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from the beyond the arc and all four free throws for 15 points. He started due to the Cardinals unable to utilize senior point guard Jalin Hart. Burmeister scored 16 points in 27 quality minutes off the bench, going 6-for-10 from the floor, 1-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-4 from the line. The top rebounder was Johnson with nine, as he also had a game-high three blocks. Prior to the game, Johnson was recognized for reaching the 1,000 Point plateau in program history, a feat he accomplished at UTEP on Dec. 19.
 
Harris led six Bearkats in double-figures, with 16 points. Williams (10 pts, 9 rbs) and John Dewey III (13 pts, 8 asts) nearly registered double-doubles.
 
UP NEXT

UIW heads back on the road to play Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals will be on ESPN3 Saturday, Jan. 13, as they face Stephen F. Austin at 6 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.