SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Junior Nick Garth scored 25 points, and became the 20^th player in Lamar University history to score 1,000 points, as the Cardinals defeated Incarnate Word, 90-69, Wednesday evening at the McDermott Center in San Antonio, Texas. Garth was one of two Cardinals to hit the 20-point plateau as senior Colton Weisbrod led all scorers with 26 points.
 
Joining Garth and Weisbrod in double figures were junior Josh Nzeakor and senior Zjori Bosha. Nzeakor recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Bosha added 11 points.
 
The victory was the team's first against UIW in San Antonio, and more importantly ended a three-game skid as Big Red improved to 11-8 (.579) on the season and 3-3 (.500) in Southland Conference play.
 
"This was a big win for our program tonight," said LU head coach Tic Price. "I think we were a little fragile after our last couple games and we really needed a win for our psyche. I was happy to see us come out strong in the second half and play with the same intensity. We had to have that tonight and the guys treated the start of the second half like it was the start of the game."
 
The Cardinals shot 49 percent from the field in a game they never trailed. LU opened the game shooting 19-of-35 (.543) percent in the first half before a 13-of-30 (.433) performance in the final 20 minutes. Big Red was 9-of-20 (.450) from three-point range after knocking down 6-of-11 (.545) second-half attempts.
 
Beaumont's version of the Cardinals won the battle on the glass outrebounding their hosts, 40-27, including 14 offensive boards. LU's lead on the glass led to a 20-10 advantage in second chance points.
 
The Cardinals also did a good job of hanging on to the basketball. LU turned the ball over just seven times Wednesday – including just two in the first half – and held an 18-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
UIW was also solid from the field converting 25-of-53 (.472) attempts, including a 5-of-11 (.455) performance from three-point range, but the host Cardinals couldn't overcome the 12 turnovers.
 
UIW also had two players score at least 20 points Wednesday led by 24 from Charles Brown and 20 from Keaton Hervey.
 
Both teams started slow offensively as UIW hit just 3-of-10 (.300) to start the game, while the Cardinals were 5-of-17 (.294). Price inserted Garth in the lineup and immediately knocked down a three – which pushed him over the 1,000-point mark. The basket also ignited a 17-7 run to give Big Red an 11-point lead with 7:06 remaining in the opening half.
 
"That is a very special moment for Nick," said Price. "Nick wanted the ball tonight and his teammates did a good job of finding him. He knocked down the shots when he got the opportunities."
 
After the slow start the Cardinals hit 11 of their next 14 attempts (.786) from the field to build a 13-point lead heading into the locker room.
 
The Red and White would not allow the lead to slip below double digits in the second half. After the lead was cut to 10 with 15:20 on the clock, the Cardinals rattled off an 8-0 run sparked by a Weisbrod three-pointer to push the lead to 18 points, 60-42, with 14:01 remaining in the contest. UIW never seriously threatened after that as the Cards pushed their lead to as many as 22 points before the final tally.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday when they return home to host Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats will tip off at 4:30 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It will be televised on ESPN3, and can be heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
 
-LU CARDINALS-