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University of the Incarnate Word Athletics

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Vashaun Newman/UIW Athletics

Women's Basketball

Cardinals set to make first true appearance at Southland Conference Tournament

SAN ANTONIO – Nearly a year later to the date, the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team returns to Katy, Texas, for the 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournament for its first true appearance. 
 
UIW opens the tournament as the No. 10 seed against No. 7 seed Abilene Christian on Wednesday, March 10 at 2 p.m. CT at the Leonard E. Merrell Center. 
 
TIPOFF COVERAGE  
CARDINAL QUICK HITS
CLINCHING CARDINALS
UIW clinched a spot in the 2021 Hercules Southland Conference Basketball Tournament for the second year in a row. The Cardinals were set to make their debut in the conference tournament for the first time in program history under head coach Jeff Dow following a 14-15, 10-10 SLC record. The tournament was canceled as the team was loading up the bus to head to the arena due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on March 12, 2020.
 
BIG HALF
UIW played its best half of the season in the home-finale win against HBU scoring a season-high 49 points. The Cardinals were led by senior Kara Speer's 11 points at the break.
 
WALL BEYOND THE ARC
UIW maintained the best 3-point defense in the league throughout the season, holding opponents to 26% from beyond the arc, which ranked among the top 20 in the nation throughout the year. This is the third-best 3-point defense in program history since the 1990s. 
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Three or more Cardinals have scored in double digits this season in six games. Of those games, all but one was a win.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
UIW picked up back-to-back wins, its first conference wins of the 2020-21 campaign, on the road against McNeese and Northwestern State limiting both opponents to 47 points on their home courts. 
 
MOORE'S FRESH START
In 14 career starts, Jaaucklyn Moore leads the squad averaging 11.6 ppg., which is 15th in the SLC. Her 80% from the charity stripe is No. 6 in the league. Moore earned honorable mention recognition in the league's Feb. 15 ballot following strong performances in a week that saw the Cardinals win three games in a row, where she led the team with 17 points against McNeese and had a double-digit performance at home against New Orleans.
 
STARR'S STELLAR SEASON
Starr Omozee notched her first double-double of the season on Feb. 8, in UIW's 66-47 victory over McNeese with 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding one block and two steals. Omozee was an honorable mention for Southland Conference weekly awards (Dec. 7), appearing on 25 percent of the ballots. Her 16 points, seven rebounds performance in the win over UTSA were a highlight for the junior on that week's ballot. Her 11.8 ppg ranked 12th in the SLC, while her 5.8 rebounds ranked 16th.
 
Fresh faces
The Cardinals' 2020-21 squad features 11 new members returning one starter, one red-shirt and three others. The Cardinals lost four of its starters and eight letter winners with a roster that graduated seven seniors last season.
 
Young Nest
UIW has a young squad with eight true freshmen. The average age of the team is 19.3 years. 14 of 16 players on the roster have less than two years of playing experience at the Division I level, UIW is one of seven teams in the nation with 14 or more players with limited experience.
 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 7 Abilene Christian (13-9, 6-7 SLC)
  • Wildcats lead the head-to-head series against the Cardinals 17-6.
  • ACU defeated UIW, 64-55, in the season finale on Saturday, March 6. 
  • The Wildcats offense comes from their accuracy on the field shooting 44.9%. 
  • Abilene Christian's 26.8 defensive rebounds per game are a league best. 
  • Alyssa Adams leads the squad and the league with 9.1 rebounds per game. She is also averaging 14.7 ppg which ranks fifth in the SLC. 
  • Anna McLeod's 15.5 points per game are third-best in the league. She averages 2.5 threes per contest. 
 
No. 6 Nicholls (10-13, 9-7 SLC)
  • The series between Nicholls and UIW is tied 5-5. The Cardinals won the last matchup at home during the 2019-20 season. The teams were set to face each other in the opening round of the 2020 Conference Tournament before it was canceled. 
  • Chelsea Cain's 16.8 points per game lead the squad and are second-best in the league. She is also bringing down 8.3 boards per game, which ranks third in the Southland. 
  • Anna McKendree also contributes to the Colonels' offense with 11 ppg. Her 2.7 steals per game are a league best. 
 
No. 3 Sam Houston (13-7, 9-5 SLC)
  • Sam Houston leads the all-time series against UIW 4-3. The Cardinals won the sole matchup between the teams during the 2019-20 season. 
  • The Bearkats have the second-best scoring offense in the league averaging 76.5 points per game. 
  • Sam Houston's 40.3 rebounds per game lead the conference, grabbing 15.9 offensive rebounds per game. 
  • Sam Houston has the league's top scorer in Amber Leggett who averages 19.4 ppg. 
 
No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana (11-7, 10-5 SLC)
  • UIW leads the all-time series against SLU 5-3. The Lions won on home-territory during the 2019-20 season. 
  • The Lions averaged 68.4 points per game while limiting opponents to 60.4 points per game, which ranked second in the conference. 
  • SLU boasts the best 3-point percentage in the league at a rate of 38.2%.
  • Morgan Carrier's 45.7% accuracy from 3-point range leads the league. 

FOLLOW ALONG 
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 Instagram
@uiw_womenshoops. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Starr Omozee

#15 Starr Omozee

F
5' 10"
Junior
Kara Speer

#5 Kara Speer

G
5' 9"
Senior
Jaaucklyn Moore

#3 Jaaucklyn Moore

G
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Starr Omozee

#15 Starr Omozee

5' 10"
Junior
F
Kara Speer

#5 Kara Speer

5' 9"
Senior
G
Jaaucklyn Moore

#3 Jaaucklyn Moore

5' 8"
Freshman
G