SAN ANTONIO – Myra Bell put the team on her back Friday afternoon, nailing a short corner jumper at the buzzer as the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team secured the conference opener victory, 48-46, over Northwestern State University.

Jorja Elliott was a constant for the Cardinals, holding off Northwestern State with her season-high 22 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start, trailing the Demons 14-8 at the end of the first quarter. It wasn't until the second quarter when UIW found its momentum.

Five points from Elliott with a layup in transition and an open three at the top of the key led to a 19-18 UIW lead in the second. The Demons and Cardinals fought back and forth for the lead as layups from Bell and Shiho Isono reclaimed the lead before a pair of free throws followed by a bucket from Elliott finally separated UIW from Northwestern State, 27-22, at the end the first half.  

The Demons tied the game back up, 36-36, on a pair of free throws, but Elliott made the layup through contact and nailed the free throw to keep the Cardinals on top to end the third quarter, 39-36.

Neither team scored a field goal for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter but UIW was able to slowly pull away as Eryn McKinzie subbed in and immediately made an impact with a pull-up jumper for the four-point lead (42-38). The Demons tied the game up, 46-46, with 26 seconds left in the game, giving the Cardinals plenty of time to score. UIW held the ball until the final seconds as Bell took her chance and knocked down the jumper as the buzzer expired for the 48-46 victory.

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