WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team fell to No. 3 Purdue, 79-59, Monday evening.
 
The UIW offense was led by Benjamin Giscti's 14-point performance, while Drew Lutz totaled nine assists against the number three defense in the country. The Cardinals drained 12 3-pointers against the Boilermakers.
 
The Cardinals came out strong to start the night, hitting back-to-back threes to put them ahead of the Boilermakers, 6-0. UIW went on to hit five 3-pointers in a row to stay within reach of Purdue (21-16). Johnny Hughes III and Griscti led the Cardinals in the first half with six points each. Griscti and Dylan Hayman went back-to-back with strong drives to the basket to end Purdue's scoring run before the break. The Cardinals trailed by 18 heading into halftime.
 
UIW came out of the break keeping the momentum behind the arc. Griscti drained a deep three to cut the Boilermaker lead to 47-30. Bradley Akhile entered the game and quickly sparked the Cardinal offense, hitting back-to-back treys to give UIW momentum midway through the second half. Hughes got his own rebound and put it back up to add two more to the board. Lutz's pull-up jumper with one minute left in the game was not enough against the offense of No. 3 Purdue as the Cardinals fell 79-59.
 
"It was a great experience to play at Purdue," said head coach Dr. Carson Cunningham. "Our guys played incredibly hard and represented Incarnate Word with passion. Mackey Arena is the best venue in college basketball, Purdue is one of the nation's best teams, and coach Painter is the best coach in the game. Purdue also has incredible fans. They were very gracious and welcomed us very nicely - and then of course they cheered like mad for their team. It was a great opportunity to get better and test ourselves versus the best. We made strides today."
 
Cunningham, who played for Purdue in 1998-2001, was honored prior to the game with a highlight reel of his performance that led to a Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight appearance.  
 
"It was very thoughtful of Purdue to take the time to talk about my years as a Boilermaker. The fans' reception was very touching. Purdue is a very special place," said Cunningham
 
UP NEXT
UIW travels to Austin to face the University of Texas on Dec. 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAtheltics, and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. Follow the team on Instagram @uiwmensbasketball and Twitter @UIWMBB