SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team opened its season at home with a convincing 86-60 victory against Texas Lutheran. Sophomore guard D.J. Murray put together his best performance of the young season, leading the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. 
 
"I was happy for the fellas," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "They've been working hard in practice, getting after it. It was nice to see them sharing the apple and talking on defense. Texas Lutheran ran some nifty stuff and hit some deep threes. Now we get back to work and prepare for Saturday."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF
The Cardinals scored on the opening tip and raced out to an 8-2 lead behind a pair of layups from sophomore guard Morgan Taylor and a four-point surge from freshman forward Vincent Miszkiewicz. Sophomore post Bryce Davis went to work in the paint, scoring nine of UIW's next 18 points and wearing down TLU's frontcourt with his physicality underneath the rim. Four different Cardinals scored to close out the half, including a three-pointer from Murray with 16 seconds left to play. UIW went into the break with a comfortable 44-25 lead.

Grab your umbrellas, it's raining.

DJ Murray sinks the three to extend UIW's lead to 44-25 heading into the half! pic.twitter.com/DEKXuPBc6x

— UIW Men's Basketball (@UIWMBB) November 13, 2019

SECOND HALF
Texas Lutheran put together a 21-10 scoring run to open the second half, closing the gap to 54-46 with 13 minutes left to play. The Cardinals refused to surrender their lead, responding with a 15-0 run to effectively put the game out of reach. Murray was a major part of that scoring run, contributing eight points to spark the Cardinal offense. Freshman guard Drew Lutz also got going in the second half, scoring all 10 of his points in the period to help bury the Bulldogs. UIW finished with an authoritative 86-60 win, capped off by a ferocious dunk by freshman center Marcus Larsson that brought everyone in their seats to their feet. 

They heard the footsteps of Thor, and thunder followed.

Marcus Larsson, everyone. pic.twitter.com/DO179WiFRE

— UIW Men's Basketball (@UIWMBB) November 13, 2019

NOTABLES 

• Four separate Cardinals scored in double figures on the night (Murray 15, Miszkiewicz 12, Davis 10, Lutz 10), a season-high for the team.
• Junior forward Augustine Ene was a defensive powerhouse, pulling down eight rebounds and swatting five shots, setting a career-high for blocks in a game and tying his career-high for rebounds. He also scored eight points. 
• Freshman forward Vincent Miszkiewicz had a great game across multiple categories, tallying 12 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field and making both of his free throws. He also brought down six rebounds (three offensive) with two assists. 
• Sophomore forward Bryce Davis recorded a career-high in points with 10, breaking his previous record of nine (vs. ACU on 2/16/19)
• The UIW bench outscored TLU's bench 46-20, showcasing the Cardinals' depth and multiple scoring options. 
• UIW had an aggressive mentality from start to finish, outscoring TLU 56-12 in the paint. 
• Lutz has now scored in double figures in all three games he's played, becoming the first freshman to accomplish that feat since UIW moved to Division I in the 2013-14 season. He also tallied three rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

UP NEXT
The Cardinals continue their five-game homestand with a matchup against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday, November 16.

STAY TUNED 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics.
The UIW men's basketball team is on Twitter at @UIWMBB and Instagram at @uiwmensbasketball.