February 4, 2006
By Chad Peters
The St. Mary’s Rattlers got back on track Saturday night, cruising past crosstown rival Incarnate Word 53-40 at the McDermott Center.
St. Mary’s trailed in the early portions of the first half, but began controlling the game’s tempo midway through the half once its offense escaped an early funk.
Sophomore post Joe Allen led the Rattlers with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Allen also dominated the matchup earlier this season with 14 points, six of which came on a trio of monstrous dunks. Allen showed on Saturday that he carries his hops with him on the road, throwing down another pair of thunderous dunks in front of a bewildered crowd of Cardinal faithful.
Junior guard Jarvis Lee also pitched in 10 points.
The Rattlers (9-11, 3-4) dominated the glass with a 50-22 rebound edge over the Cardinals.
With the victory, St. Mary’s moves into sole possession of fifth place in the Heartland Conference, just one slot behind the final opening for a tournament bid.
The Rattlers meet up with Western New Mexico, the current holder of fourth place in the conference, in a pivotal conference matchup on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Bill Greehey Arena.