Men's Basketball Game, Feb. 1, 2017
By Siera Garcia
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The Rangers clinched a win against the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals 111-110 Wednesday at Candler Physical Education Center in the first conference game of the spring.
Guarding their home turf with numerous passes, quick steals and back-to-back rebounds, the Rangers remained strong on top in a neck-and-neck game that stretched into two overtimes.
The game began with both teams quick to hustle and get points on the scoreboard. By 6:55 the score was 26-23. The Cardinals trailed for most of the first half, although never far behind.
The Rangers’ offense was consistent during the game — running up and down the court passing and communicating with one another to take 3-point shots, which often caught the Cardinals off guard.
By 16:55 UIW’s defense was on point, calling out a shot clock violation on the Rangers. Yet the Cardinals defense was not to be underestimated, as they were not afraid to take risky but successful shots.
In the beginning of the first and second half, kinesiology freshmen Adam Villanueva and Christopher Ferguson dominated the court with fast layups, in-court shots and 3-pointers.
Late in the second half, emotions rose to a high as both players and coaches yelled for a timeout with 1:19 left and the score tied, 82-82.
As the first buzzer went off, the teams remained tied with a score of 85-85, heading to the first round of overtime. The Rangers were first to be fouled as the Cardinals battled to stay above on the scoreboard.
The Cardinals would continue to keep up, only to be knocked down by 3-pointers by the Rangers. That pumped up the Cardinals even more as players — including some UIW team members from the earlier women’s game — cheered and chanted “Defense!”
With just seconds remaining and the Cardinals leading 99-95, engineering freshman Fabian Chavarria landed a 3-pointer, bringing the score to 99-98
Fouled by Marcus Perez, Chavarria then scored a free throw to tie the game up, 99-99, leading to a second round of overtime.
Ferguson unleashed a fast break for a layup with 2:23 left and the Rangers leading 105-104.
As seconds counted down, Villanueva made an in-court shot, raising the score to 111-110 and a Ranger victory.
“It’s a great feeling to make the winning shot and know that I didn’t let my team down and that they were all depending on me,” Villanueva said after the game.
