SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball opened the second half on a 9-0 run and came as close as six with 11:34 left in regulation, but visiting Stephen F. Austin outscored the Cardinals, 11-4, in a three-minute span to pull away and defeat the Cardinals, 81-70, Saturday afternoon from the McDermott Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
In a first half that saw UIW (5-19 overall, 0-14 SLC) shoot just 22 percent (4-for-18) and score 20 points, Shawn Johnson scored his first of five 3-pointers to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead over SFA (22-5, 11-3). Tied at 5-all, the Lumberjacks used a 15-4 run to take a 20-9 lead, until Johnson's triple stopped the bleeding. The Cardinals trailed by no fewer than 10 points the remainder of the half which saw SFA shoot 46 percent (12-for-26) from the floor in a 39-20 halftime lead.
 
Back-to-back Sam Burmeister three-pointers sparked a Cardinal rally to start the second half. SFA's timeout just 35 seconds into the game didn't slow down the Cardinals, as Augustine Ene joined in the fun, with a steal which resulted in a Johnson layup, as UIW cut the deficit to 11 (39-28). Ene's second steal resulted in a Charles Brown III jumper, as UIW cut the deficit to single digits, 39-30, just three minutes into the second half.
 
SFA bumped its lead back up to 14, but seven-straight points by Johnson put the Cardinals within striking distance, 47-41, and sparked the home faithful with 12:17 left in regulation. Shannon Bogues answered with a three-pointer, but Johnson quickly answered with a long ball of his own.
 
However, Bogues took control for SFA, as he hit two 3-pointers in under a minute to give the Lumberjacks a 12-point (56-44) advantage. The Cardinals came within eight following a pair of Ene free throws, but Bogues scored the next five points for SFA and assisted on a three-pointer from Kevon Harris, as the visitors' lead was back to 13 (64-51) with 6:49 to go.
 
With 4:42 left in regulation, Brown III fouled out, which hindered the already small Cardinals, with Konstantin Kulikov not dressed and foul trouble for Johnson and Simi Socks. UIW chipped away, however, and cut the deficit to 10 (75-65) following a pair of Burmeister free throws at the 2:04-mark, but could get no closer.
 
LEADERS

Johnson led all players with 23 points, the second-straight game he's dropped 20-plus points and the third time in the last four games. He also led the Cardinals with eight rebounds and three steals. Burmeister came off the bench and scored a season-high 18 points as he was 5-for-9 from the floor and a season-best 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Keaton Hervey finished with eight points, while Augustine Ene finished with seven.
 
Harris and Leon Gilmore III finished with 22 points to lead SFA, while Bogues scored 19. The trio scored 37 of the Lumberjacks' 42 points in the second half.
 
UP NEXT

UIW hosts Northwestern State on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals hit the road one final time to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets, contact UIW Ticket Sales Coordinator Alma Lara at 210-805-3012.
 
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.