Jan. 8, 2005
BEAUMONT - Lamar's Alexis Timpone poured in a career-high 17 points and Audrea Samuel added 14, but the Lady Cardinals lost a disappointing 64-62 Southland Conference decision to Texas State on Saturday afternoon at the Montagne Center.
The loss dropped Lamar to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in league play, while Texas State improved to 5-8 on the year with a 2-0 SLC record. It was the Lady Cardinals eighth straight loss to the Bobcats and the second two-point defeat of the season.
Timpone, a sophomore from Tempe, Arizona, connected on 6-of-8 field goals and dished out three assists. She accounted for all five of LU's three pointers, finishing 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Samuel, originally from Beaumont, dropped in 14 points for the second straight game and hauled in a team-high eight rebounds. She hit 6-of-10 field goals and made 2-of-3 free throws before fouling out with 22 seconds left in the game.
After trailing by one point at the half, Lamar erased the deficit and held a three-point lead (42-39) with 11:56 remaining after a fast break lay-up by freshman Valeisa Crenshaw. The Bobcats responded with a one-minute 7-0 run to take a 46-42 lead with 10:56 left to play.
Texas State opened up a pair of seven-point leads around the five minute mark before LU's LaToya Carson scored four points in a 5-0 spurt to pull the Lady Cards to within two (58-56) with 2:55 in the game.
Despite several chances to pull closer down the stretch, Lamar was unable to erase the margin. Texas State made 4-of-8 free throws in the final 1:14, but LU came up empty on all of its field goal attempts during that span until Timpone drilled a trey as time expired.
The first half featured five ties and 10 lead changes as both teams used strong defensive pressure to limit each others scoring chances. Neither team led by more than five points throughout the period and the two teams combined for only 18 field goals on 57 attempts.
Samuel scored 10 points in the first half, while Timpone added nine, all by way of three-pointers. Texas State's Tori Talbert led the Bobcats with 10 at the half.
Despite a 30.4 field goal percentage in the opening frame, the Bobcats carried a 30-29 lead into the locker room after knocking down 16-of-21 attempts from the free throw line, including 6-of-8 in the finals 2:10 of the half. LU was awarded only six free throws, making four.
Carson, a sophomore from Long Beach, Mississippi, chipped in nine points and three rebounds for Lamar. Junior Megan McDougald turned in another solid outing for the Lady Cardinals with nine points and two blocks. She also tied a season-high with eight rebounds and a pair of career-highs with two steals and one assist.
Talbert led all players with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Texas State's Jeana Hoffman added 12 and Tamara Thompson 10.
Texas State out-rebounded Lamar 49 to 39, but committed 20 turnovers compared to only 17 for Lamar. The Lady Cardinals shot 36.9% from the floor (24-of-65), while Texas State managed a 33.3 % clip from the field (18-of-54).
Lamar returns to action next Thursday (Jan. 13) against McNeese State. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in the Montagne Center.
