SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team dominated in its home opener on Monday night, defeating Nelson University 85-54. UIW accounted for 29 assists against the Lady Lions, which is the second-most assists by the Cardinals in program history, with the most being 34 in 2016. The Cardinals also cleaned the offensive boards, out-rebounding Nelson 28-1 and capitalizing with 22 second-chance points.
Five Cardinals ended the night in double figures for an all-out team win.
Jorja Elliott led the charge with 15 points,
Raimi McCrary and
Mallory McQuietor added 12 points making an impact in the paint and both
Dorian Norris and
Brynn Lusby contributed 10 points each.
The Lady Lions and Cardinals both had high energy to start the game, trading buckets for five lead changes in the first quarter. McCrary tied the game, 9-9, on a pair of free throws,
Brenna Perez picked up back-to-back layups and Elliott knocked down two at the FT line to separate UIW from Nelson by five (20-15).
Nelson tried to chip away at the deficit in the second, but the Cardinals locked down on defense, holding the Lady Lions to just eight second quarter points, while putting up 23 of their own. UIW quickly extended its lead to almost twenty at the half with a score of 43-25.
In the second half, the Cardinals continued to work the ball inside-out, making the Lions defend from beyond the arch to the high elbow and down below in the lane. On the night, 44 of UIW's points were scored in the paint.
Eight players saw double-digit minutes on the game, with the bench adding 41 points as the Cardinals cruised to the 85-54 victory over Nelson University.
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