Box Score HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team started slowly on Saturday, but powered past Sam Houston from the second quarter on to take a 56-49 road victory at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
HOW IT WAS WON
The Cardinals (3-11, 2-1 SLC) fell into a 17-13 hole after 10 minutes of action, but outscored the Bearkats (3-8, 0-2 SLC) by nine points in the second quarter to steal the momentum.
At the 8:28 mark of the second, UIW trailed by eight points, but erupted for a 19-6 run over the remainder of the period to secure a 32-27 lead at the break.
Sam Houston scored the first four points of the second half to pull within one, but a
Kara Speer three-pointer and
Sydnee Wynn layup put the Cardinals back up by six.
With 1:10 remaining in the third quarter, Speer connected again from long range to give UIW its largest lead of the night at 11 points.
The Bearkats answered with four consecutive points of their own, but a layup by Wynn with six seconds remaining in the frame gave the Cardinals a nine-point advantage after three.
With 6:20 remaining in the game, another Speer three-pointer secured a 54-43 lead for UIW, but the Cardinals were forced to rely on their defense the stretch.
UIW played the final 6:19 without making a shot from the floor, but the Cardinals maintained a healthy advantage by holding the opposing offense at bay. With 17 seconds left,
Quincy Baker blocked a layup attempt by Akarian Morgan and
Melina Merritt secured the rebound to seal the win.
THE BREAKDOWN
UIW shot 36 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range, while holding Sam Houston to 31.5 percent and 18.2 percent respectively. Both teams were effective from the charity stripe, with the Cardinals shooting 80 percent and the Bearkats shooting 86.7 percent.
Sam Houston picked up a narrow 37-34 edge in the battle of the boards, but UIW came away with an 11-7 advantage on second chance points. The Bearkats earned a 26-20 edge on points in the paint, while the Cardinals turned in a 22-14 advantage on bench points.
LEADERS
Gabbi Bowie led the way for UIW with 18 points, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Speer finished with 12 points, while Wynn totaled 10.
Imani Robinson contributed 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Merritt added 4 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 boards.
Lydia Baxter paced Sam Houston with 16 points, 7 rebounds and a steal.
NOTEABLES
Bowie's 18 points were a career high.
Saturday's victory was just the second time in program history that the Cardinals defeated the Bearkats. Both of UIW's wins over Sam Houston have come during the
Christy Smith era.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals host Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the McDermott Center.
STAY TUNED
UIW travels to Nacogdoches for a 3:30 p.m. showdown with Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.
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.
