CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For the first Southland Conference game of the 2021-22 season, the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team matched up against the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon. UIW fell to TAMUCC, 61-54.
 
Jaaucklyn Moore led the Cardinals with 17 points and Tiana Gardner finished with a career-high 16 points.
 
Destiny Terrell gave the Cardinals a 9-8 advantage with three minutes left in the first quarter. Terrell and Gardner picked up two quick buckets and the Islanders answered with a corner trey. Moore hit a jumper at the buzzer as UIW held onto a four-point lead (15-11) heading into the second quarter.
 
With two minutes left in the second, the Islanders popped a three at the top of the key to take their largest advantage of the quarter (22-19). Terrell finished a floater down the middle of the lane to cut the lead to 22-21. UIW and TAMUCC traded baskets before Moore drained a 3-pointer to end the half all tied up, 26-26.
 
Gardner came up big in the third for the Cardinals, finishing back-to-back three-point plays that put UIW up (38-35) halfway through the frame. The Islanders fought back to tie the game, 42-42, with a minute and a half left and secured a bucket late in the third to head into the fourth quarter with a 44-42 advantage.
 
The Islanders capitalized off UIW's fouls midway through the fourth, making five free throws to take a nine-point lead (53-44). The Cardinals battled back to cut the advantage to 56-52 with thirty seconds left in the game, but TAMUCC took the game, 61-54.
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals host Houston Baptist University on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 5:30 p.m. CT at the McDermott Center.

FOLLOW ALONG
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