NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team overcame a 15-point deficit to take a 45-44 lead in the second half, but SFA's depth proved too much to contend with as the Cardinals fell to the Lumberjacks, 80-56. 
 
"Obviously, foul trouble really hurt us in this one," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "It was a two- or three-possession game late when our third forward fouled out. That made things tough. But Stephen F Austin deserves credit. They shot the lights out. We needed to force them into tougher shots, but they were hot this evening. We need to learn from it and rest up tomorrow and then be ready to get after it in practice Monday. Two big home games this upcoming week."
 
The Cardinals' (4-13, 1-5 SLC) bench was outscored by the Lumberjacks' (15-3, 6-1 SLC) by an insurmountable 42-5 margin, and despite strong performances from UIW's young freshmen, they couldn't match SFA's scoring late in the game. 

NOTABLES 

• Freshman guard Drew Lutz led the Cardinals with 16 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
• Lutz also went 4-4 from the free-throw line, making it 24 consecutive free throws made dating back to Dec. 7. He's now shooting 88.6 percent from the line on the season.
• It was another well-rounded performance by freshman forward Vincent Miszkiewicz, who put together a balanced statline of 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals.
• Freshman forward Marcus Larsson scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds with a pair of blocked shots.
• Freshman guard Keaston Willis scored 12 points and connected on two 3-pointers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
The Lumberjacks started the game on a 20-9 run and led by as many as 15 late in the first half. The Cardinals put together a late 8-1 scoring run behind some efficient shooting by Lutz and Willis to reduce the deficit to 38-30 heading into halftime.  
 
SECOND HALF
UIW jumped out on a 15-6 run to open the half, taking its second lead of the game, 45-44, with 13 and a half minutes left to play. Turnovers and foul trouble limited the Cardinals to just two points in the last six minutes of the game, however, and the Lumberjacks closed the game on a 36-11 run to take the 80-56 victory. 
 
UP NEXT
UIW will look to bounce back against Lamar at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the McDermott Center. 
 
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.