NEW ORLEANS – Marcus Larsson threw down a dunk with just one second remaining to lift the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team to a thrilling 67-66 victory Saturday night against New Orleans. 

"Nothing easy about this one in the Big Easy tonight," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham. "Was super-impressed by the squad's poise. They shared the apple and stayed with the battle. And the battle was tough, gotta give New Orleans credit. Man, these Incarnate Word hoopers are Cardiac Cardinals - steady staying in the fight, no matter what."

NOTABLES 

• Freshman guard Drew Lutz was electric Saturday, scoring a team-high 19 points while dishing out seven assists in the win.
• Sophomore guard Dwight Murray Jr. and freshman guard Keaston Willis each added 11 points, with Murray Jr. pulling down a career-high eight rebounds. 
• In addition to scoring the winning basket, Larsson filled the stat sheet with six points, five rebounds, five assists (a new career high) and three steals. 
• The Cardinals out-rebounded the Privateers 27-24 and recorded 18 assists to UNO's 11.
• UIW put together one of its best shooting performances of the season, going 25-45 (55.6 percent) from the floor, 7-17 (41.2 percent) from three and 10-12 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
UIW jumped out to a 10-3 lead with baskets from four different Cardinals. New Orleans countered with a 14-2 run that put the Privateers in front, 17-12, with just over 10 minutes left in the half. Sharp shooting from Lutz and Murray Jr. powered the Cardinals to a 27-9 scoring run to end the half, providing UIW with a 39-26 advantage going into the break. 
 
SECOND HALF
The Cardinals went cold on their shooting efficiency while the Privateers started to gel on the offensive end, outscoring UIW 36-16 to take a 62-57 lead with just over two minutes left in the game. UIW's clutch free-throw shooters came in handy as Murray Jr. and Lutz drew fouls and converted on each of their combined six free-throw attempts. On the other end, New Orleans guard Bryson Robinson was fouled and converted both free throws to give the Privateers a 66-65 lead with just eight seconds remaining. Lutz quickly found Larsson open in the lane, who threw down a dunk with just one second left in the game. The Privateers called a timeout, but turned the ball over after Larsson grabbed a steal to end UNO's hopes of pulling off a miracle. 
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return to San Antonio for a two-game homestand starting with McNeese at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, before hosting SFA at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. 
 
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.