SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Leading by three, 44-41, with 8:32 left in regulation, the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball could only score six points as visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi outscored the Cardinals, 15-6, in that time period to come from behind and get the win, 56-51, Saturday afternoon from the McDermott Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
After a sluggish start that saw TAMUCC (8-12, 5-5 SLC) lead for the first six minutes, a three-pointer from Jorden Kite gave UIW (5-15, 0-10) its first lead of the contest, 13-11, with 13:22 left in the opening half.
 
A Konstantin Kulikov steal resulting in a Shawn Johnson layup added to the Cardinals' 7-0 run that saw the hosts take a six-point lead, 17-11, with under 10 minutes to play in the half.
 
The Cardinals led by as many as 10 before the Islanders chipped away and came within three points, 27-24, following a three-pointer from Tre Grey at the 2:22-mark. But a Johnson dunk sparked the Cardinals as they closed the half on a 5-0 run to take an eight-point halftime lead, 32-24. UIW only shot 39 percent in the half, but it held TAMUCC to 29 percent shooting. The Cardinals also held a 9-2 advantage in points off turnovers, despite the teams having nearly an even amount of miscues (7 for TAMUCC and 6 for UIW).
 
UIW held the lead throughout the second half, as the Islanders came as close as two with 14:04 remaining, but a Simi Socks steal followed by a jumper by the junior forward increased the Cardinals lead back up to four. Following an Islander basket, Kite nailed a huge triple to bring UIW back up by five, 52-37, with 12:19 remaining in regulation.
 
A layup by Johnson at the 8:32 mark put the Cardinals up by three, but the Cardinal offense went ice cold the remainder of the half, as back-to-back jumpers from Joe Kilgore and Deion Rhea gave the Islanders a 45-44 lead it would never relinquish the final 7:55. Brown III hit a three-pointer to bring the Cardinals within four with 13 seconds remaining, but TAMUCC went 3-for-4 from the line to seal the win.
 
LEADERS

Johnson and Brown III each scored a game-high 14 points to lead the Cardinals. Johnson tied for the game high of nine rebounds and also had two blocks, two assists, and one steal in all 40 minutes. Kulikov had four blocks and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action. UIW shot just 19 percent from beyond the arc (5-for-26).
 
Kilgore and Kareem South paced the Islander offense with 11 points apiece, while South tied Johnson with a game-high nine rebounds. The Islanders shot 44 percent in the second half (11-for-25).
 
UP NEXT

UIW closes its three-game home stand against Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals hit the road to face Abilene Christian next Saturday at 4 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.