INCARNATE WORD 65, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE 53
An adrenalin rush at the start got Our Lady of the Lake off to a 7-0 start and the Saints were able to maintain a lead until midway through the second half before the rush wore off, the floor got slick and OLL began to see its advantage slip-slide away as Incarnate Word worked its way to a 65-53 win Thursday night.
The win put UIW at 2-0 while the Saints, playing their inaugural season, slipped to 1-1.
OLL got the 7-0 start on the Cardinals and nursed that lead to 31-25 at the half in a game filled with fouls, turnovers and an extremely slippery playing surface brought on by some serious humidity. It was not until there was 14:09 on the second half clock before Incarnate Word got a rebound put-back from forward Tracy Robinson to go ahead for the first time at 36-35.
That lead did not last as the two teams traded advantages over the next five minutes. With players from both teams falling and sliding all over the court, forward Chris Johnson sent home a three-pointer and the Cardinals begin to exert themselves. That shot made it 45-44 at the 9:00 mark. Robinson made a layup, center Tamas Cseh got another layup and guard Deleon Hines drilled a three and UIW was up 52-46 with 5:58 to play.
As the fouls mounted for the Saints, Incarnate Word built a distinct advantage at the line by going 21-34 for the night. OLL in the late going, and during the Cardinals decisive run, lost a pair of players to fouls while UIW managed to avoid having anyone retire to the bench as disqualified.
Cseh had a career night for the Cardinals. He led all scorers with his career high 16 points giving the 6-11 Hungarian double points in the first two games of the season. He also was the best rebounder for the night by tying his career mark of eight caroms.
Two other Cardinals were in double figures. Johnson, playing off the bench, finished with 14 to go with seven rebounds while Hines ended the evening with 13 points.
As a team the Cardinals shot the ball at .488 including .542 in the second half when they finally did move in front of the scrappy Saints. The rebound battle went to Incarnate Word by a narrow 42-40 margin.
RECORDS:
UIW 2-0
OLL 1-1