Skip To Main Content

University of the Incarnate Word Athletics

ESPN+
brandon swaby
Vashaun Newman/UIW Athletics
60
Incarnate Word UIW 3-10,0-2 Southland
76
Winner Nicholls St. NichSt 8-6,2-1 Southland
Incarnate Word UIW
3-10,0-2 Southland
60
Final
76
Nicholls St. NichSt
8-6,2-1 Southland
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Incarnate Word UIW 27 33 60
Nicholls St. NichSt 25 51 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Second-half struggles lead to UIW loss against Nicholls, 76-60

THIBODAUX, La. – Despite leading at halftime, the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team came up short against Nicholls, falling 76-60 on the third and final game of the Cardinals' road trip. 

"We played pretty darn well for 34 minutes but obviously, from 50-48 in the latter part of the second half, struggled to close," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "The fellas are battling and working hard at putting together a complete 40 minutes and we're going to keep at it. Nicholls State deserves credit for finding a way to get separation. We're eager to play a conference game at home, January 8, and will be preparing hard for that tilt in the coming days." 

NOTABLES 
  • Junior forward Augustine Ene led the Cardinals with 15 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
  • Freshman guard Keaston Willis finished with 14 points, marking the eighth game of the season he's scored in double figures. He also added two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
  • Sophomore guard Dwight Murray Jr. scored 10 points and tallied five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
  • Freshman guard Drew Lutz recorded a career-high six rebounds to lead the Cardinals.
  • The UIW bench outscored the Nicholls bench 22-9.
  • The Cardinals shot 12-15 from the free-throw line (80 percent), with all free throws coming in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF
Nicholls started the game on a 9-4 run, but back-to-back baskets from Murray Jr. and Ene pulled the Cardinals to within one. The Colonels created some more separation with an 8-4 run, but the Cardinals clawed back to tie the game at 19 after a 3-pointer from Willis and consecutive layups from Ene and freshman guard Brandon Swaby. Nicholls regained the lead with a layup, but UIW responded with a 6-0 run on back-to-back threes from Ene and freshman forward Corey Sato to take their largest lead of the game. UIW went into halftime on a 15-6 run, leading Nicholls 27-25 at the break. 

SECOND HALF
UIW and Nicholls traded baskets for the first four minutes of the half before the Colonels went on their first run of the period, scoring eight consecutive points to take a 38-31 lead. Eleven out of the next 13 points for UIW came from the free-throw line after not recording a single free-throw attempt in the first half. The Cardinals closed the gap as they continued to attack the basket and convert from the charity strip, pulling to within just two (48-46) with under 10 minutes left in the game. That's when Nicholls caught fire, putting together a 19-3 scoring run to take a 67-49 advantage with under five minutes remaining. UIW couldn't piece together a comeback and fell to Nicholls, 76-60.

UP NEXT
The Cardinals return home from their three-game road trip for an SLC matchup against Northwestern State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8.

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.
 
Print Friendly Version