SAN ANTONIO – Sophomores Keaston Willis and Drew Lutz picked up right where the duo left off from their freshmen campaigns, but it was not enough as the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team fell to Rice, 68-53, in the first game of the Thanksgiving Invitational on Friday inside the McDermott Center.

"First, on behalf of the men's basketball program, I'd like to thank all of the folks who helped us put this game one," UIW head coach, Dr. Carson Cunningham said. "From facilities to the custodial staff and our Sports Medicine department. It was a big undertaking and we are grateful we got to compete."

The returning Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, Willis led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting and a trey with six assists. Lutz added 11 points and dished out five assists. Junior Bradley Akhile played 32 minutes in his UIW debut, with a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and 1-of-1 from downtown on the afternoon to lead the Cardinal's offense.

Brandon Swaby pitched in with four points and Ezedinma added six points in nine minutes of work off the bench in their Cardinals debut.

The Cardinals and Owls battled through the first half as neither team was able to get ahead by more than two possessions in the first 20 minutes. UIW took a 24-18 lead as Swaby hit a trey midway through the first and followed up by hitting the front end of a trip to the free throw line a minute later. Rice closed the gap on its next possession as Cameron Sheffield knocked down a three at the 8:41 mark.

After Rice tied the game at 25 with just under five minutes to play, freshman GG Ezedinma cashed in a three-pointer to get the Cardinals back out to a four-point lead, but Rice closed the half on a 6-2 run and led 32-31 at the break. UIW held a 42.3 percent (11-of-26) shooting advantage as the defensive end – led by Sophomore Marcus Larsson's four defensive rebounds – limited Rice to shooting just 34.4 percent (11-of-32).

The Owls clawed out to a fiery second half, doubling up UIW in an 18-9 run to add a ten-point cushion in the first eight minutes as Riley Abercrombie nailed a 3-pointer from an assist by Peyton Moore.

Rice continued its momentum out to a 15-point lead with 10:46 to play before Lutz stopped the run with a floating jumper in the lane and Willis drove down the lane for another lay-up to make it a 60-47 game. The sharp-shooting second half Owls came alive, going 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the field to keep UIW at a distance.

"In the first half, we played with energy and purpose, the second half we seemed to lose our oompf and wear down a bit. Rice deserves credit, they made it difficult." Cunningham said.

Chris Mullins led a trio of Owls, scoring in double figures as he shot 6-of-11 and finished with 15 points, three assists and three steals. Max Fiedler added 14 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double effort, and Travis Evee scored ten points leading to the Owls shooting 44 percent (26-of-59) in the win.

Rice and Our Lady of the Lake continue the Thanksgiving Invitational action on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The Cardinals and Saints wrap up the weekend with a 1 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 29.

"Looking ahead, we need to learn from this, practice with even more intensity and execute better on the finer elements, like free throws, which we know we can do better with. We will keep battling!" Cunningham said.

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