Nov. 30, 2004
BEAUMONT - A 13-point effort by LaToya Carson and a stifling defensive performance by the rest of the Lady Cardinals helped Lamar post a 72-24 win over Texas College on Monday night at the Montagne Center.
With the win, Lamar improves to 3-0 for the first time since the 1990-91 Elite Eight team. It was also a decisive victory in LU's first-ever meeting with Texas College.
The Lady Cardinals opened the game with a 10-0 run for the second straight game and they never looked back. A pair of free throws by TC's Rebecca Phips brought the LU lead down to eight points (10-2) with 14:49 left in the opening frame, but just over :30 later the Lady Cardinals lead was pushed back to double digits where it remained for the duration of the contest.
Lamar's defense held the Lady Steers without a field goal until the 10:50 mark and limited Texas College to only 4-of-22 shooting in the first half. Despite struggling offensively themselves, the Lady Cardinals took a 33-11 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, LU forced the Lady Steers into 16 of their 34 turnovers and held them to a 17.9 field goal percentage. Texas College finished the game 9-of-50 (18.0%) from the floor and scored the lowest single-game total by an LU opponent since the Lady Cardinals joined the NCAA in the 1982-83 season. The previous low of 30 was set by Texas-Pan American on Feb. 4, 1989.
Lamar upped its efficiency in the second half by converting 16-of-34 field goals for a 47.1 percent clip. The Lady Cardinals continued their torrid rebounding, falling one shy of the school's all-time record of 69, set on Feb. 7, 1981 against Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette).
Carson, a sophomore from Long Beach, MS, added a game-high seven rebounds to her team-high point total, while junior Megan McDougald chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench.
Alexis Timpone, a sophomore from Tempe, Arizona, also played well, recording a game-high six assists, six points and two rebounds.
Texas College was led by Tiffany Pierce with 14 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
The Lady Cardinals hit the road for the first time of the season on Thursday, Dec. 2 with a 7 p.m. non-conference contest at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.
