CHICAGO – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team, beset with injuries prior to the game and with key players in foul trouble during the contest, fought a gutsy, unyielding battle against Big East power DePaul on Wednesday night -- eventually falling to the Blue Demons, 81-71, at Wintrust Arena in the Windy City.
 
The Cardinals, 5-8 on the year, closed out their pre-Southland Conference schedule with a flurry of three-pointers, led by senior Charles Brown III, who had 27 points -- a career high.
 
NOTABLES

• The first half was hard-fought and evenly contested. There were 13 lead changes and the game was tied five times. UIW led for six total minutes and had four-point leads on two occasions.
• Brown's 27 points topped his previous career high of 26, set against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 7, 2018.
• The Cardinals hit 14 of 25 three pointers, five by Brown, five by Antoine Smith Jr., and two each by Jorden Kite and Augustine Ene.
• Brown's five three pointers were a career best, topping his previous high of four, also set against SLU on Feb. 7, 2018.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:

• UIW scored first on a jumper by Brown.
• DePaul took an 8-4 lead but UIW went on a 5-0 run to put the Cardinals ahead, 9-8.
• A three-pointer by Smith gave UIW a 15-14 lead with 12:30 left.
• Another three-pointer by Smith, his third of the game, gave the Cardinals an 18-14 lead with 11:42 left in the first half. He hit his fourth at the 10:36 mark to sustain UIW's four-point lead at 21-17.
• Ene's three-pointer put UIW ahead 24-22 with 9:31 remaining.
• At this point, UIW had hit five straight three-pointers and was six of nine from beyond the three-point arc.
• With 8:14 to go in the opening half, the game was tied, 24-24. Smith had 12 of the team's points.
• Taylor's twisting, reverse layup gave UIW a 26-24 lead with eight minutes left.
• Brown's layup tied the game, 30-30, with six minutes left.
• Consecutive three-pointers by DePaul's Eli Cain put the Blue Demons up by six points with 4:40 left in the half.
• Brown's layup cut DePaul's lead to 36-32 with 3:42 left.
• Jorden Kite hit a 3-pointer with 3:15 left to close the gap to 36-35.
• A three-pointer by Brown gave UIW a 38-37 lead with 1:40 left.
• DePaul led 42-38 at the half, a period that saw both teams shoot a combined 15 for 22 from beyond the three-point arc.
• Brown had 14 points at halftime; Smith had 12. All four of Smith's field goals were three pointers.
• Morgan Taylor had three fouls at halftime; three other Cardinals had two each.
• UIW shot 51.9 percent from the floor. DePaul shot 63.6 percent.

Second Half:

• A twisting layup by Ene cut DePaul's lead to 42-40.
• DePaul went on a 5-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 16:57 left in the game.
• Brown's layup off of Taylor's assist cut the DePaul lead to 48-42 lead with 15:59 left.
• DePaul increased its lead to 10, but Brown hit a three-pointer to cut it to seven with 14:16 remaining.
• Ene's three pointer at 12:48 reduced DePaul's lead to eight.
• Brown's jumper with 11:35 remaining kept it close at 58-50.
• DePaul increased its lead to 15 points with 9:30 remaining.
• Kite's three-pointer cut DePaul's lead to 12 with 7:56 left in the game.
• Smith's three-pointer at 6:44 cut the Blue Demon lead to 11.
• Taylor's two free throws at 5:45 kept the DePaul margin at 11.
• Brown's three pointer at 3:13 reduced the lead to 10.
• Murray's two free throws at 1:44 maintained the gap at 10 points.
• Brown's three-pointer in the last minute cut the margin to nine. 

COACH CUNNINGHAM SAID
"It was nice to see the fellas find a nice rhythm and build on it. It's tough to lose but we're getting better, and the guys are grappling. DePaul hit some big threes and was tough to deal with in the paint. We're going to keep battling."
 
NEXT UP
The Cardinals will open their Southland Conference schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 2, with a 7 p.m. tipoff against McNeese at the McDermott Center on campus.
 
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