Freshman guard Morgan Taylor arrived at the University of the Incarnate Word this summer with a nickname of “Mo-Buckets.”

Taylor lived up to the billing Saturday, hitting the winning shot in an 80-78 overtime victory over North Dakota State at The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.

The Bison led by 15 points in the second half but could not hold off the Cardinals on the second day of the tournament in Nassau, Bahamas.

UIW, under new coach Carson Cunningham, battled from behind in the final minute of overtime for their first win of the season against an NCAA Division I opponent.

First, senior forward Charles Brown III gave the Cardinals a 78-76 lead with a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining.

On the other end of the floor, North Dakota State’s Cameron Hunter made a move to the basket, and was fouled, and hit two free throws to tie it.

After a UIW timeout, the Cardinals worked the ball to Taylor, who hit the winning shot with 26 seconds left for the eventual final score.

UIW of the Southland Conference escaped with the win when North Dakota State’s Vinnie Shahid missed a three-pointer.

Taylor finished with 24 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Cardinals, who improved their record to 4-2 on the season.

Brown added 14 points and sophomore guard Cody Graham 13.

Tyson Ward scored 14 to lead the Bison, followed by Rocky Kreuser (13) and Jared Samuelson (12). With the loss, North Dakota State of the Summit League fell to 1-3.

Notable

Taylor played under coach Gene Nolan at Marist High School in Chicago. He averaged 21.8 points in his senior year at Marist.