ABILENE, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team took down the top-ranked offense of Abilene Christian, 71-70, on Saturday night at Moody Coliseum.
 
UIW was quick to get on the board when Kara Speer sunk a three on the first possession of the game that spurred a 5-0 run. The Cardinals went basket-for-basket with the Wildcats forcing four lead changes. Macy Ray's nine points, going 4-5 from the field and 1-2 from three would give UIW 21-13 led heading into the second quarter.
 
UIW took control of the game in the second quarter leading by as much as 12 points. The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead, but Victoria Jackson dribbled down the court and shot a jumper as time expired in the first half to give the Cardinals a 38-32 lead.
 
The Cardinals were held to their lowest scoring quarter in the third, putting up 15 points which was matched by the Wildcats. ACU got within four points three different times in the period, but each time UIW responded. Ray and company went into the final quarter with a 53-47 lead.
 
Imani Robinson grabbed her own offensive board and put it away, only to be followed up with Lunden Henry's signature spin move shortly after with another made layup to once again give UIW a 10-point lead. It was then that the Wildcats answered with a three, on three consecutive possessions, making it a one-point game.


Senior guard Angelica Wiggins put on her own three-point show, making back-to-back threes putting the Cardinals ahead by eight points midway through the fourth quarter. ACU would not go down without a fight as they tied the game, 70-70, off a deep three with just 16 seconds remaining in the game.
 
With 5 seconds to go in the game, Robinson had the ball at the top of the key and made a strong move into the paint. As she went up for the game-winner, she was fouled on the arm mid-shot and headed to the free-throw line with a chance to seal the deal. The senior made the first but missed the second with the rebound going to an ACU player. But with merely one second left on the clock, it was not enough time for the Wildcats to heave a successful Hail Mary, and the Cardinals took home their toughest road win of the season in exciting fashion, 71-70.
 
NOTABLES

• UIW shot a season high 55 percent from beyond the arc and 11 made 3-pointers against the nation's ninth-best 3-point defense.
• Four Cardinals scored in double figures, Imani Robinson (20), Macy Ray (18), Lunden Henry (12) and Angelica Wiggins (11). UIW is now 8-0 when three or more Cardinals score in double digits.
• UIW outshot ACU from the field 47.4 percent to 41.3 percent. The 47.4 percent is the best shooting performance of conference play and second-best of the season behind the 48.3 percent against Paul Quinn (Dec. 28)
• The Cardinals turned the ball over just seven times, their lowest in conference play, while forcing the Wildcats to turn the ball over 14 times.
• Ray went 7-11 from the field (a career high) and 4-8 from 3-point range. The sophomore's 18 points were a career high.
• Wiggins' made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, which is a season high.
• Robinson has now scored in double-digits 13 times this season and has scored 20+ points in four games. The senior guard dished out a career-high eight assists.
• Kara Speer handed off a career-high five assists.

 
QUOTING COACH DOW
"Really proud of our team for the resilience and poise that they showed over the course of the game in a tough road environment. It was certainly not a fluke when you consider that we led for over 37 minutes and just made so many clutch plays on both ends of the floor."
 
The game in numbers…
"Statistically, a number of things stand out. The fact that we made 11 threes and shot 55 percent from three was huge, while only giving up seven turnovers. We had 18 assists of our 27 made field goals, which is indicative of how well we were moving the ball and finding the open player."
 
On the defense…
"I thought defensively we did a great job in keeping a very talented Abilene Christian team well below their average because they are a difficult team to match up with."
 
On the individual standouts…
"Individually we had a lot of big-time performances. Imani Robinson playing 40 minutes, not only hitting the game-winning free throw, but putting up 20 points with eight assists and only one turnover was big. Macy Ray was another one that played 40 minutes and hit a number of big 3-pointers for us. Of course, Angelica Wiggins giving us a hug lift particularly in the fourth quarter off the bench."
 
On the win and moving forward…
"It was a great bounce-back win for our program after a tough loss the other night against Houston Baptist. It could arguably be the biggest win in UIW basketball history since they transitioned to Division I. Hopefully this should give us some confidence going forward with the remainder of our conference schedule whether we're at home or on the road."
 
UP NEXT
UIW remains on the road against Sam Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 5 and against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Feb. 8.