Dec. 11, 2004
BEAUMONT - Lamar sophomore LaToya Carson had 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while junior Audrea Samuel added a team-high 16 points in a lopsided 78-47 non-conference victory over Centenary College Saturday afternoon at the Montagne Center.
The Lady Cardinals, who won for the second straight time and improved to 5-2 on the year, never trailed in the game after scoring the opening six points of the contest. LU controlled the tempo of the game throughout, improving its all-time series record to 3-0 against the Ladies.
Junior Bridgette Brackens, a transfer from McLennan CC, scored all of her 11 points in the first half to fuel a 43-point period for Lamar. In the half, she had a flawless 4-of-4 performance from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. Brackens added three rebounds and an assist on the day.
With 9:38 remaining in the opening frame, the Lady Cardinals pushed their lead to double-digits on a three-pointer by Alexis Timpone. Centenary was never closer than 10 points for the remainder of the game, and LU took a 43-24 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Lady Cardinals first-half performance was due in large part to several hot-hands from beyond the three-point arc. Lamar combined for a 70% clip from downtown, connecting on 7-of-10 three-point attempts. By contrast, Centenary was limited to a 25.8 field goal percentage (8-of-31) from three-point range.
The second half was more of the same for Lamar, as back-to-back baskets by Megan McDougald and Aida Bakhos pushed LU's lead past the 20-point plateau (50-29) with 14:24 left to play. The Lady Cardinals continued their offensive efficiency in the second half, shooting 48.4 percent from the floor on 15-of-31 attempts. Lamar's defensive intensity also increased as the Ladies accuracy dropped to 18.8 percent (6-of-32).
Lamar ran its offense to near perfection, dishing out 29 assists on 33 field goals on the day. Four Lady Cardinals had at least four assists, led by Timpone with a game-high six. Freshman Valeisa Crenshaw added a career-high five assists, along with six rebounds. Senior Demela Lowe also tied a season-high with five assists.
Centenary was led by Evadale native Holli Wilkins with a game-high 21 points. She connected on 4-of-18 field goals and 10-of-14 free throws, while dishing out four assists and pulling down four rebounds. Jelena Aleksic added nine points and five rebounds for the Ladies.
LU finished the game with a 49.3 field goal percentage (33-of-67), while Centenary was 22.2% (14-of-63). Lamar won the battle of the boards, 52-39, eclipsing the 50-rebound mark for the fifth time this season.
Lamar will look to make it three in a row on Thursday, Dec. 16 when it hosts Prairie View A&M at 6 p.m. in the Montagne Center.
