Nov. 22, 2004
BEAUMONT - Junior Audrea Samuel scored a game-high 18 points and the Lamar women's basketball team scored its highest single-game point total since the 1995-96 season, as the Lady Cardinals thumped Wiley College, 92-52, on Monday night in their season opener at the Montagne Center.
LU, now 1-0 on the season, never trailed in the game after jumping out to an early 8-0 lead. The Lady Cardinals pushed their advantage to 16-2 with 15:10 left in the first half and then expanded that margin to 19 points (27-8) with 8:20 remaining.
Wiley College (3-3) put together a small rally down the stretch and trimmed the Lady Cardinals halftime lead to 12 (41-29) on a last second three-pointer by Tameka Beamon. Beamon finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds, while Romekia James dropped in a team-high 11 points for WC.
In the second half Lamar stepped up the offensive production with a 51-point half. LU used a 20-8 run to open the second frame and open a 61-37 lead. The Lady Cards coasted over the final 13:50, eventually winning by 40 points, the largest margin of victory since an 81-41 win over Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) in Beaumont during the 1992-93 season.
Four Lady Cardinals finished with double-digit points, including 12 points each by LaToya Carson and Shaquita Coffey. Carson, a sophomore from Long Beach, MS, connected on 5-of-7 from the floor and grabbed three steals, while Coffey, a freshman from Beaumont, made 6-of-11 field goals and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in her first collegiate start.
Junior Megan McDougald, a 6-3 forward from The Woodlands, finished with 11 points and eight rebounds on the night. She also moved into sole possession of second-place in the LU career record books with 88 blocked shots after recording a rejection Monday night.
The Lamar faithful also saw a pair of impressive rookie debuts from freshmen Chelsea Gugliotta and Aida Bakhos. Gugliotta, a native of Bicknell, Indiana, recorded eight points and six rebounds in her first collegiate start, while Bakhos, originally from Lebanon, came off the bench to post nine points, seven rebounds, two steals and a game-high four assists.
The Lady Cardinals outrebounded Wiley College (61-48) and finished the game with a 53.8 field goal percentage, connecting on 35-of-65 shots from the floor. The LU defense held the Lady Wildcats to a dismal 17.9 field goal percentage, allowing the conversion of only 14-of-78 attempts.
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Lady Cardinals will continue their three-game homestand with a 2 p.m. non-conference contest against Loyola-New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Montagne Center.
