"Our start wasn't good enough," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "Credit to Abilene Christian. Their pressure was a lot to deal with. Once the fellas settled down and got the hang of it, they were fine. But the early deficit proved too much. It will be nice to return to campus for home games this upcoming week."

• Junior guard Des Balentine scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game, chipping in 10 points against the Wildcats after scoring a season-high 16 in Wednesday's win over Houston Baptist.
• Vincent Miszkiewicz finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, marking the eighth time this season the freshman forward has registered at least eight points and eight rebounds in the same game.
• Sophomore guard Dwight Murray Jr. scored in double-figures for the ninth time this season, adding 10 points and three rebounds in the loss.
• The Cardinals out-rebounded the Wildcats 33-29 and outscored them in the paint, 26-24.

The Wildcats caught fire from outside to begin the game, with seven of their first eight field goals coming from beyond the arc. ACU's 3-point barrage propelled it to a 25-9 lead over 12 minutes into the first half, but UIW chipped away at the lead slowly over the next seven minutes behind efficient guard play from Murray Jr. and Balentine. The Cardinals went on a 7-0 run with five minutes left in the half to cut the lead to 29-20, and kept pace with the Wildcats for the remainder of the half to keep the deficit at nine going into the break, 38-27.

The Cardinals matched the Wildcats stride-for-stride for the majority of the second half, scoring 31 points in the period to ACU's 34. Freshman guard Keaston Willis scored all nine of his points in the second half to provide a lift to the UIW offense and Miszkiewicz battled down low with seven points and six rebounds during the period. The Cardinals improved their perimeter defense as the game progressed, limiting the Wildcats to just 2-13 shooting from beyond the arc after going 7-15 in the first half. ACU's early success was enough to carry it to a 72-58 victory despite UIW's improved play on both ends of the floor to close out the game. 

The Cardinals return home next week for a battle with Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, Feb. 5. 

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