SAN ANTONIO, Texas – HCU took a 29-27 into halftime but the host UIW Cardinals shot an incredible 78.6 percent from the field in the third quarter to put enough distance between themselves and the Huskies, leading to a 68-55 UIW win at the McDermott Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
HCU (5-16, 2-10 SLC) took a quick 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of early layups by
Amy Cotton and
Tiffany Tullis. Things stayed close with the Huskies leading by four two more times, including 10-6 with 5:02 left in the quarter. Neither team led by more than four in the first with UIW (13-8, 8-4 SLC) holding a slim 17-16 advantage at the end of the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw three lead changes in the first six minutes with the last of those coming on a
Victoria Dixon three-pointer at the 4:20 mark to put HCU up, 23-21. The Huskies' lead reached five, their largest lead of the game, when
Kierra Prim made a driving layup with just 49 ticks left in the half that gave HCU a 29-24 lead. UIW scored three points before the half for a 29-27 game at the break.
The Cardinals blitzed the Huskies to open the second half, posting a 13-0 run in just three minutes to lead 40-29. UIW shot an impressive 11-of-14 from the field in the third quarter, amassing 28 points while HCU scored 17 in the period.
Trailing by nine heading into the final quarter,
Erin Maguire made a layup to cut the HCU deficit down to seven, 55-48, early on but UIW responded with a six-point run. From there, the Huskies were unable to get their deficit back down to single-digits.
Tullis was in the Huskies' starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 9 and made the most of her opportunity, leading the team with 14 points and nine rebounds. The senior finished 6-of-8 from the floor and also had a pair of assists along with a blocked shot and a steal. Cotton and Maguire each scored nine in the loss while
Lyric Barr grabbed five boards.
HCU shot 44 percent (22-of-50) as a team and connected on 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the foul line.
The Huskies return home this Thursday, Feb. 6, when they host Southeastern at 6:00 p.m. in Sharp Gym.
