Feb. 26, 2005
BEAUMONT - Sophomore LaToya Carson poured in a game-high 25 points and senior Demela Lowe added 10, as the Lamar women's basketball team snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 59-53 win over Sam Houston State Saturday afternoon in Southland Conference action at the Montagne Center.
The Lady Cardinals improved to 9-17 overall and 3-12 in league play, while Sam Houston fell to 6-19 for the year with a 3-11 SLC record. Lamar also evened the all-time series with the Bearkats at 20-20.
Carson, a 5-9 guard from Long Beach, Mississippi, reached the 25-point plateau for the third time this season, while leading the team in scoring for the 11th time. She nailed 8-of-15 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, while also grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. She also dished out three assists and recorded three steals.
The two teams began the second half tied at 32-32 until freshman Chelsea Gugliotta gave LU a one-point lead after converting 1-of-2 from the free throw line. Lamar built its lead to nine over the next 6:38, outscoring the Bearkats 14-6 to open a 47-38 lead. Carson fueled the Lady Cardinals spurt with eight points, including five straight in a 29-second span.
Over the next 10 minutes SHSU chipped away at the LU lead with a 13-4 run, capped by an Adah Wells lay-up at the 3:52 mark which tied the score at 51-51. The Lady Cards stayed composed during the run and responded with an 8-2 run to close the game and secure the win. Lowe scored four points in the final 3:23 and Carson iced the game with a pair of free throws at the eight-second mark.
Sam Houston started the game with a 7-2 run in the opening 3:52, sparked by five points from Sarah Hilton. SHSU extended its lead to 10 points (14-4) at the 14:44 mark after Erica Parker drained a three-pointer. The 10-point margin was the largest lead of the game for either team.
After scoring only four points in the first 5:16 of the half, Lamar's offense got back on track over the next six minutes to pull within one point, 21-20, with 8:44 on the clock. SHSU pushed its lead back to seven (27-20) with 7:09, before Lamar responded with a 10-4 run over the next 5:22 to pull within one again, 31-30, on a lay-up by Gugliotta. LU tied the score 32-32 at the half with a pair of free throws from Lowe with 38 seconds on the clock.
LU finished the opening half with a 57.9% clip from the field, but cooled to 41.7% in the second frame. The Lady Cardinals finished the game at 48.8%, making 21-of-43 attempts. Lamar also turned in a 75.0 free throw percentage on 12-of-16 shots from the charity stripe.
Gugliotta, a 6-0 forward from Bicknell, Indiana, finished with six points and four rebounds. Junior Audrea Samuel, a forward from Beaumont, had eight points, three rebounds and a career-high tying three blocked shots. She made 4-of-7 from the field and added one assists and a steal.
SHSU shot 45.8% from the floor in the first half on 11-of-24 attempts, but fell off dramatically in the second half with a 23.1% clip. The Bearkats finished at 34.0% for the game, making 17-of-50 shots. Sam Houston made 16-of-21 (76.2%) free throws for the game.
The Bearkats were led by Britney Harris and Wells with 11 points apiece. Hilton chipped in with nine points, while Stephanie Trachier and Jamie Davison led the team with five rebounds each.
LU concludes the regular season on Wednesday, Mar. 2 with a 4:30 p.m. league contest at Louisiana-Monroe in Monroe, Louisiana.
