KATY, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team punched its ticket to the championship round of the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time in program history by defeating top-seeded Houston Baptist University (HBU), 54-33, in the semifinal game on Saturday afternoon at the Merrell Center.

"Again, just another tremendous performance by our team and we couldn't be more proud of them," said head coach Jeff Dow. "To lead the game essentially from start to finish, and never actually trail, speaks to how locked in they were especially with such a quick turnaround. Our assistant coaches do a tremendous job of preparing our team between game film and the scouting report. And our players were outstanding today in implementing the adjustments we made to our zone and on the offensive end as well. We got another big lift from the bench today in outscoring their bench 19-6, led by Tiana Gardner's 12 points and 7 rebounds. Destiny Jenkins was really solid in scoring 7 points plus contributing 4 rebounds and 2 assists, with zero turnovers. Destiny Terrell coming away with another double-double was huge and once again Jaaucklyn Moore made some really tough shots and played really well on the defensive end too."
 
Jaaucklyn Moore led the Cardinals with 18 points. Tiana Gardner followed with a big 12-point performance to be named the SLC Player of the Game. Destiny Terrell also contributed a double-digit contest with 10 points.
 
The Cardinal defense stepped up, holding HBU to 18.2% shooting from the field, including only 7.1% (1-14) in the fourth quarter. UIW also held the Huskies to 19.2% from beyond the arc, allowing zero 3-pointers in the fourth frame.
 
UIW brought the intensity into day three of the SLC tournament and took a 7-0 advantage over the Huskies early in the first quarter. Moore (11) and Terrell (8) led the way, combining for 19 of UIW's 30 points in the first half. Tiana Gardner continued to heat up the Cardinals, using a pull-up jumper before hustling down court to take a charge against the Huskies.
 
Myra Bell entered the game in the second quarter and quickly contributed on both ends of the court. After securing a defensive rebound, she went coast-to-coast to register the fast-break layup and extend the Cardinal lead to 23-14. Jamie Means showed her strength with a strong drive to the basket and completed the free throw for the three-point play. The Huskies went on a quick scoring run, but Terrell pushed her way through their defense yet again to keep the 30-21 advantage for UIW.
 
HBU charged out of the half with a quick 5-0 run. Moore ended the stretch with a pull-up jumper in the paint to spark UIW's own scoring run. HBU closed the gap to four before Destiny Jenkins stole the ball and completed a fast-break layup to give the Cardinals a 38-31 lead heading into the final ten minutes of the game.
 
Jenkins continued to bring the heat and started the final quarter by knocking down a 3-pointer to extend the edge to 45-31. Gardner pushed through the HBU defense and knocked down another three-point play. The top-seeded Huskies were no match for the Cardinals, who continued their dominating play and secured a 21-point victory (54-33) to clinch a spot in the championship round of the SLC Tournament for the first time in program history.
 
UP NEXT
UIW will face the winner of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Southeastern Louisiana University in the championship game on March 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
 
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 @UIWMBB and Instagram @uiwmensbasketball.