SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team fell, 91-48, in its Southland Conference opener against preseason favorite SFA on Saturday afternoon in the McDermott Center.
 
"For us having 34 practices canceled and seven games either postponed or canceled wasn't ideal in preparing for an opponent of this magnitude," head coach Jeff Dow.
 
"So, we felt like we had to do what we could to keep them fresh for our upcoming games on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. All in all, we're not discouraged with the effort we played with today."
 
SFA came out strong in the first quarter, limiting UIW to 40% from the field and capitalizing on eight turnovers to get ahead 24-12. Five Cardinals scored in the quarter trying to find the hot hand in their first game back since Dec. 29 against Texas Tech.

Just before the break, the Cardinals worked to get within striking distance of the Ladyjacks, putting up 19 points to their 21 in the period. UIW took care of the rock, turning it over just twice and forcing five turnovers.  
 
SFA opened the second half on a 14-0 run before the media timeout that would remain unanswered until Tiana Garndner came off the bench to put one away. Immediately after, she got the ball back again for the red and black, taking a charge and putting a pair away at the charity line.
 
The Ladyjacks' 31 points in the quarter extended their lead, 76-40, heading into the final stretch.
 
Despite holding SFA to its lowest scoring quarter at 15 points, UIW also scored a game-low eight, thus allowing the Ladyjacks to seal the victory.
 
NOTABLES

• Moore snagged a career-high three steals.
• Chloe Storer made her first appearance as a Cardinal after missing the nonconference portion of the season due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions from her hometown of Wangratta, Australia.
• Three Cardinals had career-high points – Garnder (seven), Kamryn Gibson (three) and Hanna Wheeler (two).

 
QUOTING COACH DOW
"Obviously that wasn't the result we wanted but nonetheless, I thought that was a valiant effort by our players. SFA came in having already played 13 games and came in playing extremely well having beaten three conference foes by 59, 59 and 41 points. With having back-to-back quarantines and Christmas break mixed in between them, we were only able to get four practices and one game in from December 9-January 11. I thought there were times where fatigue was definitely a factor and we were more than a little rusty which led to a lot of the turnovers. I know there were several players for us who would ordinarily play more minutes than they did today, but we have to think about the big picture in all of this and take into account the health and welfare of our student-athletes. Coming out of yet another 14-day quarantine we're scheduled to play four games in eight days, including a quick turnaround with our game on Monday afternoon with Northwestern State.
  
UP NEXT 
UIW takes on Northwestern State on Monday, Jan. 18, in the second game of the four-game home stand. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT. For the UIW home game policies, click here.  
 
STAY TUNED
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