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HOUSTON – Both teams shot over 60 percent and it was the third-highest combined scoring game in regulation in HBU's history as the men's basketball team defeated Incarnate Word, 118-111, inside Sharp Gym on Wednesday night for the team's seventh win in the last 10 games.
 
The Huskies (12-16, 8-9 SLC) kept pace with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in picking up the win and remain tied for sixth place in the conference standings but the final three seeds in the Southland Conference tournament remain open. Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas are one game back and tied for eighth while Nicholls and Northwestern State are a game behind them.
 
HBU got out to an early 12-7 lead but the Cardinals (6-24, 1-16 SLC) answered to take a one-point lead at the 14:32 mark on a pair of Jordan Caruso free throws. UIW extended its advantage and took its largest lead with 11:30 on the clock after an Antoine Smith three made it 32-27. The Huskies worked their way back and evened the score four times before finally regaining the lead late in the first half on a Braxton Bonds layup and a Jalon Gates three a few seconds before the buzzer gave HBU a 64-62 lead at the close of the half.
 
The score went back-and-forth for the first nine and a half minutes of the second half with a pair of Christian Peevy free throws giving UIW an 86-85 lead with 10:53 to go. The Huskies responded with a 20-5 run in a span of just over four minutes, capped by two Ian DuBose free throws, to lead 105-91 with 6:26 on the clock. From there, HBU held the Cardinals at bay with the five being the closest it got with 49 seconds left.
 
The game featured 20 lead changes and 13 ties with both teams combining to attempt 66 free throws. HBU shot 62.9 percent (39-of-62) from the floor, 50 percent (10-of-20) from three and 75 percent (30-of-40) at the charity stripe. UIW, meanwhile, finished the night 67.8 percent (40-of-59) from the field, 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from deep and 80.8 percent (21-of-26) from the line.
 
The Huskies committed a season-low six turnovers in the win while forcing the Cardinals into 12. UIW held a 29-24 advantage on the boards while HBU got 50 points from its bench compared to 32 for UIW.
 
Gates scored a season-best 25 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc and 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Edward Hardt added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Bonds had 15 to go with four assists. DuBose narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 9 assists while also grabbing seven rebounds and three steals. Stephen O'Suji had 12 points and Ty Dalton added 10.
 
UIW was led by Christian Peevy who scored a game-high 29 points with six of the eight Cardinals who played scoring in double-figures.
 
The combined score of 229 points in a regulation game was the highest for the HBU program since a 129-113 loss to St. Edward's on Feb. 1, 1997. The highest-ever combined regulation score in program history came on Nov. 11, 1995, a 140-119 win over Louisiana Christian.
 
The Huskies will close out the regular season in Corpus Christi, Texas against the team they're tied for sixth with, the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, on Saturday, Mar. 9, afternoon at 5:00 p.m.