Incarnate Word controlled the women’s game from tip-off to final horn and left Jason Gymnasium with a Heartland Conference victory on Thursday evening, 61-44. 

   A down shooting night from the Blue Tigers (2-16 overall, 0-4 Heartland Conference) and a methodical, plodding offense perpetrated by the Cardinals (9-9, 3-1) aided their win.  In a game, which they never trailed, Incarnate Word led 30-17 at halftime. 

   Brezette Elder-Wade downed a set of free-throws to cut the Cardinals margin to nine, 36-27 with 12:22 left in the contest.  A 17-3 surge by the Cardinals gave them their largest lead of the game, 53-30 at the 5:01 mark of the second half.  The Blue Tigers made a 12-0 charge to narrow the Cardinals lead to 53-42 with 1:34 remaining.  Incarnate Word closed the game on an 8-2 run to post a 61-44 victory. 

   Ieasha Sledge scored a game-high 21 points for Incarnate Word.  Nia Torru hit double figures with 16 points. 

   Brezette Elder-Wade was the only Blue Tiger in double digits with 15 points.  Jasmine Washington and Tiffannie Wolfe scored 9 points each.  Wolfe had game-high honors with 13 rebounds. 

   The Blue Tigers made 50 percent (4-of-8) of their shots from three-point range.  For the sixteenth game in 18 tries, Lincoln University shot less than 45 percent from the field.  The Blue Tigers ended the game 15-of-45 (33 percent).

   Since joining the Heartland Conference in 2000-01 the Blue Tigers have scored 60 or more points in 25 of 72 games (34.7 percent).  The Blue Tigers are 16-9 (64 percent) in those 25 games. 

   Lincoln University plays 2005-06 Heartland Conference Postseason Tournament Champion, St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, Texas) at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 in Jason Gymnasium.  The Blue Tigers are 2-10 (two overtime losses) in Heartland Conference play with the Rattlers, not including a 0-1 mark in the Heartland Conference Postseason Tournament.  The most recent Lincoln University win over St. Mary’s University (6-12, 2-2) was Feb. 3, 2005 60-52 in Jason Gymnasium. 

Men's Basketball

The efforts of the Lincoln University Blue Tigers, who played with a heretofore unseen sense of urgency, left them still searching for their first Heartland Conference victory, as they surrendered to the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals 70-65 on Jan. 25 in Jason Gymnasium.

   The Blue Tigers fall to 3-12 overall and 0-4 in the Heartland Conference with the defeat.  The Cardinals improve to 9-9 and 4-2 good for second place outright in the conference. 

   Each team held the lead in the first half with Incarnate Word taking advantage more often.  The Cardinals biggest edge in the opening half was 13-7 after a basket by Antario Williams with 13:36 until halftime.  The Blue Tigers fought back and tied the game up heading to halftime 26-26. 

   Lincoln University crept in front in the second half maintaining control of their moxie with a prevailing deliberate style.  As slowly as the Blue Tigers had built their thin lead to 51-43 with 8:42 to play, the Cardinals flew in front.  Incarnate Word used an 11-1 run covering 3:40 of clock to gain a 54-52 advantage.  The Cardinals, who shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23, 2-of-4 from three-point range) from the field in the second half sealed the win by making 82 percent (14-of-17) of their free-throws in the final 5:02 of play.  Incarnate Word did not miss a free-throw (9-of-9) in the last 82 seconds and held on to win 70-65.

   Ever the streaky shooters, the ill side of the Blue Tigers mantra reared its ugly head in the second half.  After hitting on 36.4 percent (4-of-11) three-point shots in the first half the Blue Tigers had a tough time connecting from long range in the last half.  A 1-for-10 (10 percent) second half performance from beyond the arc compounded the Blue Tigers problems, who were again having trouble receiving production from their post players.  The glaring weakness in the paint has forced the Blue Tigers to all but abandon an inside attack, thereby placing a premium on the establishment of a successful perimeter-oriented game. 

   Lincoln University shot less than 40 percent from the field for the eighth time this season and was out-rebounded for the tenth time.

   The Cardinals outscored the Blue Tigers 15-6 in the second chance points category. 

   Pierce Caldwell paced the attack for the Cardinals with 17 points.  Williams gave Incarnate Word 15 points, Mikyl Bradshaw 14 and Jason Gant 10. 

   For the fourth consecutive game, Jared Boone led the Blue Tigers in scoring.  Boone popped in a game-high 21 points.  Other double-figure scorers for the Blue Tigers came from Ralph Mata 15 points, James Edwards 11 and Brandon Harris 10. 

   The win by Incarnate Word gives them the all-time series lead 8-7. 

   In the six games played in 2007, four of which have been Heartland Conference games, the Blue Tigers most prolific evening in the paint was on Jan. 15, when the quartet of Jordan Rush, Marcus Warren, Zach Rose and Vandder Hughes combined to score 19 of the Blue Tigers 57 points (33 percent).  In the other five games, the Blue Tigers low-post output has averaged 21.6 percent of the Lincoln University points-per-game with a 32 percent night at Texas-Permian Basin on Jan. 13. 

   Lincoln University hits the Jason Gymnasium court for game number two of a five-game home stand on Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Tigers face the Rattlers of St. Mary’s University (10-8, 3-2 HC) on Saturday. 

   The last time the Blue Tigers defeated the Rattlers was Feb. 8, 2003 in Jason Gymnasium, 75-59.  The Blue Tigers are 4-8 against the Rattlers since the two began playing in the Heartland Conference in 2000-01.  Head coach Charles Terry has yet to lead one of his Blue Tigers teams to a win over the Rattlers.