SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team held the lead for almost the entire 40 minutes as the Cardinals cruised to a 77-49 victory over the Houston Christian Huskies on Saturday afternoon at the McDermott Center.
 
As a team, the Cardinals shot 49 percent from the field with 35 bench points, while HCU shot 38 from the field with only 12 bench points. Nina De Leon Negron had a productive day for UIW with nine points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Jorja Elliott and Myra Bell totaled 11 points apiece, while De Leon, Hanna Wheeler, and Aliyah Collins all tallied nine points. 
 
The Huskies managed to score first, but the Cardinals controlled the game. With an 18-15 lead through the first quarter and a 28-23 edge at the half, HCU was left playing catchup.
 
UIW came out of the locker room on a 6-0 run that quickly extended the Cardinal lead to 11 (34-23). Wheeler came into the game towards the end of the quarter, draining back-to-back 3-pointers that pushed the lead to 20 (54-32) heading into the final 10 minutes. The third proved to be the most productive for the Cardinals with 26 points, shooting 83 percent from the field.
 
The Cardinals continued to press on the gas in the fourth, taking the game by nearly 30 points.
 
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