SAN ANTONIO – Trailing 70-69 with 20 seconds left in the game, Keaston Willis sank what would be the game's deciding two free throws, as the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team held on to defeat the New Orleans Privateers, 73-70. 
 
The win is the Cardinals' (4-11, 1-3 SLC) first in Southland Conference play, moving the team ahead of the Privateers (5-11, 1-5 SLC) in the league standings. 
"The fellas really battled hard," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "I'm happy for them and the assistant coaches, and director of basketball operations Chris Artis, and our managers and all the folks helping our operation - they've all been working hard. We're gonna stay on the grind. New Orleans made it tough for us. They're physical and strong. It was awesome to see the fellas meet the challenge." 

NOTABLES 

• Freshman center Marcus Larsson continued his strong run of late, leading all scorers with a career-best 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and a block. He was as dependable as anyone from the charity stripe, converting nine of his 10 free throw attempts. 
• Freshman guard Keaston Willis extended his streak of games with a 3-pointer made to nine, sinking three triples in Saturday's win. He finished with 18 points on the afternoon.
• Freshman guard Drew Lutz followed his eight-assist performance Wednesday with seven more Saturday, rounding out a 17-point, four-rebound, two-steal performance against the Privateers. 
• In addition to his two clutch free throws at the end of the game, freshman forward Vincent Miszkiewicz scored six points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. 
• The Cardinals as a whole were 28-32 from the free-throw line (82.4 percent).
• One of the key advantages for UIW was the turnover advantage. The Cardinals forced 14 turnovers and scored 22 points off of those errors, while the Privateers scored nine points off of turnovers.
• UIW also doubled New Orleans' second-chance points, 12-6, and outscored the Privateers in the paint, 36-24.

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
New Orleans had the edge early, opening the game on a 10-4 run before a thunderous dunk from Larsson on a fast break halted the Privateers' momentum. The Cardinals followed with a 17-6 scoring run powered primarily by the Lutz-Larsson duo, putting UIW in front, 27-22, with two-and-a-half minutes left in the first half. The Cardinals closed the half with four made free throws from Larsson and Lutz to take a 31-27 lead into the locker room. 
 
SECOND HALF
Both teams cranked up the scoring in the second half, starting with the Privateers, who came out of the break on a 6-2 run. Baskets from Dwight Murray Jr., Larsson and Willis carried UIW to an 8-0 run and its largest lead of the game, 41-33. New Orleans responded with a 22-12 run to regain the lead in the game's closing seconds. Willis's two free throws put the Cardinals back in front, 71-70, and Miszkiewicz iced the game with two more to seal the 73-70 victory. 
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals are back on the road against McNeese at 6:30 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, January 15, in Lake Charles, La. 
 
STAY TUNED 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. 
The UIW men's basketball team is on Twitter at @UIWMBB and Instagram at @uiwmensbasketball.