SAN ANTONIO – Angelica Wiggins led the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team to its largest victory of the season, dropping 22 points in the 76-39 win over Northwestern State on Wednesday night.
 
UIW, sporting its red uniforms at home for the first time this season, began the second leg of Southland Conference play on a high note, taking down Northwestern State and sweeping the season series.
 
The first quarter was slow offensively for both sides, with the score at 3-1 as Wiggins got the Cardinals on the board heading into the first media timeout. Wiggins sank two more 3-pointers along with Starr Omozee and Kara Speer contributing in the paint, taking a 13-2 lead into the second quarter.
 
Northwestern State hit a 3-pointer to start the second quarter to cut UIW's lead to eight, but that was the closest the Lady Demons would get in their comeback attempt. Lunden Henry and Omozee went to work in the paint, while Macy Ray hit two nothing-but-net shots from beyond the arc. UIW held a 40-15 lead heading into the second half.
 
Speer's driving layup in the paint was the first set of points a minute and a half into the third quarter. The Cardinals had two shots blocked and missed two missed jumpers, and the Lady Demons took advantage of that, adding seven points of their own.
 
After heading to the bench for a media timeout, Wiggins caught a pass at the top of the key and drilled another three to break UIW out of its cold spell. The senior guard then hit her sixth 3-pointer of the night, sending the Cardinals into the final period with a 55-26 lead.
 
The Henry twins went to work in the fourth quarter, with Alexis Henry scoring twice in the paint, and one of those times drawing the foul for the extra point. Lunden Henry also scored in the paint and from the free-throw line. In a physical fourth quarter, the Cardinals managed to hold off the Lady Demons, ultimately winning, 79-39.
 
NOTABLES

• Senior guard Angelica Wiggins led the team with a season-high 22 points, going 6-7 from three (also a season high) and 7-9 from the field.
• The 37-point margin of victory is the largest for UIW this season.
• The Cardinals outscored the Lady Demons in the paint 26-10 and from beyond the arc 8-1, while also bringing down 37 rebounds to NSU's 31.

 
QUOTING COACH DOW
"The team played outstanding. Really in every phase I thought we were solid. In the first half we were hitting threes and obviously Angelica Wiggins had a tremendous game. It really got us going when we were trying to score a point in the first half, so that was big. Wiggins had a lot of in-rhythm shots. You can't rely on one or two players having a big game so it is good to see yet another player step up and give us a hug lift."
Looking forward…
"I'm very proud of this team, of the effort and now with a winning record 13 games in. We have a lot of basketball left and a lot of work to do to make the conference tournament, but this certainly helps."
 
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals are on the road for back-to-back games in Louisiana, first against New Orleans on Feb. 15 and then against McNeese on Feb. 19.