KATY, Texas – The seventh-seeded University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team makes its first appearance in the 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournament when it faces the No. 6 seed, Nicholls, in the first round of the tournament at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
 
TIPOFF COVERAGE

• Watch: ESPN+
  • Talent: John Liddle (play-by-play) & Jim Haller (analyst)

• Listen: Cardinals Sports Network
  • Talent: Scott Mandziara

• Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

 
UIW IN THE SOUTHLAND
UIW has maintained a steady, fourth-best defense in the conference, limiting opponents to 60.8 points per game. The Cardinals also rank fifth in threes made per game, 3-point percentage shooting, and 3-point percentage defense. UIW makes an average of 5.6 threes per contest, shooting at a 31.1 percent clip, while holding its opponents to just 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.
 
CARDINALS ON THE LEADERBOARDS
Senior forward Lunden Henry has been a major contributor in the front court for the squad, shooting 44.9 percent from the field and moving up to 14th in the SLC rankings. Her 0.6 blocked shots per game rank among the top 25 in the league. Following her three blocks against Northwestern State (a career high), Angelica Wiggins has 0.5 blocks per game, putting her among the top 25 in the league as well. Junior guard Kara Speer's 7.1 rebounds are fifth on the Southland leaderboard. On the perimeter, Victoria Jackson averages 1.8 steals per contest, which is tied for 12th in the conference.
 
AWARDS SEASON
Senior guard Imani Robinson was named first team all-conference for the 2019-20 season. Robinson is the first Cardinal to be named first team since UIW joined the Southland in 2013-14. The Round Rock, Texas, native has earned multiple conference accolades over the years, including player of the week (Feb. 24, 2020), third team all-conference (2017-18) and SLC Freshman of the Year (2016-17).
 
WELL-ROUNDED ROBINSON
Senior guard Imani Robinson's 14.3 points per game leads the Cardinals and ranks fourth in the SLC, her highest ranking of the season. Meanwhile, her 41.0 shooting percentage from the field and 72.2 percent from the free throw line puts her among the most accurate scorers in the league. Robinson also ranks in the top 20 of the SLC in three other categories: shots blocked (0.8), steals (1.8) and rebounds (5.4). The senior recorded her first double-double of the season against ACU, scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds.
 
THREAT FROM THREE
The Cardinals continue to thrive from 3-point range, shooting at 31.1 percent (fifth in the league). They were especially strong over a two-game stretch, shooting 46.2 percent against Sam Houston and 44.4 percent against Northwestern State - both of which resulted in wins. Angelica Wiggins made six 3-pointers against the Lady Demons, which is a single-game high on the season. Kara Speer is shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, a team best that also ranks 14th in the SLC. Macy Ray also shoots at a high rate from three as she ranks 17th in the conference at 30.6 percent.
 
DOUBLE DIGITS
UIW has had three or more Cardinals score in double-figures on 11 separate occasions this season. The team is 10-1 in those games. The Cardinals are 14-8 when Imani Robinson scores in double figures.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT (NICHOLLS)
SERIES HISTORY
UIW and Nicholls are tied in head-to-heads at 5-5 after the Cardinals were victorious in their lone matchup this season. UIW held a four-game winning streak over Nicholls from 2016 through 2017 before the Colonels snapped the winning streak in the 2018-19 campaign.

SCOUTING THE COLONELS

• Nicholls finished the season on a seven-game winning streak, ending the season 13-16 overall with a 10-10 mark in Southland play to tie with UIW in the final conference standings.
• Chrystal Ezechukwu leads the team, averaging 14.2 points per game. The 6-0 senior also leads the team on the glass, averaging 6.2 rebounds per contest. She leads the team in blocks with 23.
• Airi Hamilton is the second-highest scorer with 11.9 points per game, while shooting at a team-high 49.4 percent in the paint.
• Nicholls has the fifth-best scoring offense in the league, averaging 64.8 points per game. She is shooting at a fifth-best rate of 40.9 percent from the field.
• For UIW to come out victorious, it will have to prevent Hamilton and Loan-Ahn Johnson, who are among the most accurate shooters in the league, from shooting in the paint as they score 49.2 percent and 48.2 percent of their shots in the area respectively.

 
LOOKING AHEAD IN THE BRACKET
ABILENE CHRISTIAN

• The Wildcats are the biggest scoring threat in the league, shooting at a rate of 48.7 percent in the paint, 38.6 from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free throw line.
• ACU has two of the top-five scorers in the league in Breanna Wright (18.1 ppg) and Dominique Golightly (15.4 ppg). Wright was named Southland Conference Player of the Year, and both she and Golightly were named first team all-conference.
• Wright also leads the league in assists (dishing out 5.1 per game), free throw percentage (making 85.9 percent of her shots from the charity line) and threes per contest (a league-high 2.9).
• Golightly is a force from beyond the arc with a league-leading 43.7 percent from 3-point zone for an average of 2.3 threes per game.
• UIW split the series with ACU, with both teams winning on the road.

 
SFA

• Stephen F. Austin has the strongest defense in the league, limiting opponents to just 54.0 points per game. SFA also averages 10.59 steals per game, which is third best in the Southland.
• SFA is averaging a league-leading 38.8 rebounds per game.
• The Ladyjacks are led by Stephanie Visscher and Aiyana Johnson. Both average 13.3 points per game, which is tied for ninth in the conference. 
• Johnson is also the second-best rebounder in the league, averaging 8.3 per contest.
• UIW split the series with SFA this season, winning at home but falling on the road.

 
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TICKETS
To purchase tickets to see the Cardinals in action at the 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournament, contact UIW Director of Ticketing Alma Lara at 210-805-3012 or aylara@uiwtx.edu.

Ticket Prices for the tournament are:
$60 – Includes tickets for all rounds of the SLC tournament
$25 – Per individual round
 
Tickets will be sold at the Senior Day doubleheader on Saturday (March 7) through the beginning of halftime of the men's game.
 
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.

Follow the team on Twitter @UIWWBB and on Instagram @uiw_womenshoops.