SAN ANTONIO – Trailing by one with under two minutes left in regulation, senior forward
Monet Neal forced an offensive charge to give the ball back to the Huskies. Seconds later, she spun in the paint and gave HBU a lead it would not relinquish as the Huskies held on, 62-61, over Incarnate Word Thursday evening from the McDermott Center.
Neal finished with nine points and seven rebounds for HBU (12-12 overall, 7-7 SLC).
Anna Strickland registered her 19th double-double of the season with game highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Her two blocked shots today move her into a tie for third all-time with Velencia Kuykendall with 117.
Rachel Arthur shot 50 percent from the floor and scored 11 points while
Lisa Zderadicka came off the bench to add 10. As a team, HBU shot 44 percent from the floor in the game.
Haley Frias paced UIW (6-18, 3-10) with 15 points off the bench, going 5-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Aricka Adams scored 14 points, as she was held to only two in the second half. Brianna Williams brought down a team-best five rebounds. As a team, the Cardinals shot 50 percent from the floor.
HBU scored eight of the first 10 points before the Cardinals rattled off four unanswered to cut the deficit to two, 8-6. The Huskies continued to lead until Frias nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 12-all with just under two minutes left in the opening half. Arthur made an old-fashioned three-point play to give HBU a 15-12 lead, but was quickly answered by a layup by Yvonne Maosa to close the quarter.
Bria Johnson started the second quarter with a three-pointer to give HBU a four-point advantage, 18-14, 11 seconds into the frame. After Johnson hit a jumper to give the Huskies a 20-16 lead with nine minutes left in the quarter, UIW battled back and took its first lead of the game, 21-20, following an Adams' three-pointer at the 6:28-mark. The Cardinals would close the half on a 13-7 run for a 34-27 lead at the break.
Strickland paced the Huskies' offense with 10 points, followed by both Johnson and Arthur with five points apiece. Adams led UIW with 12 points. HBU shot 46 percent from the floor in the half compared to 50 percent for the Cardinals.
UIW led by seven, 40-33, two minutes into the second half before HBU closed the quarter outscoring UIW, 13-4, to take a 46-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
Amanda Johnson hit a three-pointer while Zderadicka scored six points in the run. HBU outscored the Cardinals, 16-0, in points in the paint in the frame.
Frias began the final quarter with a long jumper to knot the game at 46-all. There would be four more ties in a five-minute span before back-to-back scores by the Cardinals put them ahead by four, 58-54, with 3:52 remaining. The Huskies cut the deficit to one following an Arthur jumper. With 1:51 left in regulation, Neal forced an offensive charge on Maosa, giving the ball back to HBU. Neal got the ball in the paint and made the shot, giving HBU a 62-61 lead. The Cardinals had one last chance with 23 seconds, but Adams' shot missed the mark.
HBU hosts conference leader Abilene Christian Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
