Feb. 3, 2005
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Three Lady Cardinals reached double figures, led by LaToya Carson with 14 points, but the hot-shooting Lady Demons of Northwestern State were too much to handle on Thursday night, as Lamar dropped an 88-69 Southland Conference decision in front of 1,242 rowdy fans at Prather Coliseum.
The loss, which was Lamar's eighth straight to NSU, dropped the Lady Cards to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in SLC play. With the win, the Lady Demons stayed perfect at home this season, running their record to 8-0, while improving to 10-9 overall with a 5-3 league record.
Northwestern State never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the opening 2:16 of the game. Carson's jumper with 17:27 on the clock cut the NSU lead to four (8-4), but the Lady Cardinals were unable to get any closer for the duration of the game.
Leading 15-8 with 14:33 left in the opening frame, NSU used a 14-4 run over the next seven minutes to grab a commanding 29-12 lead. The Lady Demons went on to take a 49-28 lead into the intermission after shooting 50% from the floor.
NSU hit 18-of-36 attempts from the field in the first half, including 8-of-15 from three-point range. LU struggled from the floor in the opening frame, connecting on only 10-of-36 field goals for a 27.8% clip.
The second half was more evenly match, as Lamar upped its offensive accuracy by making 11-of-30 shots (36.7%), while NSU's efficiency slipped to 45.9% (17-of-37).
LU was only partially able to take advantage of 25 second-half trips to the free throw line, making 16 for a 64.0% mark. The Lady Cardinals finished the game making 23 of their season-high 37 free throw attempts for a 62.2% from the charity stripe.
The Lady Cards outscored the Lady Demons in the second stanza, 41 to 39, but were unable to pull any closer than 18 points in the final 20 minutes of the contest. Lamar did, however, win the battle of the boards, outrebounding NSU 50 to 49 behind a pair of seven-rebound outings from Carson and freshman Shaquita Coffey.
Carson, a sophomore from Long Beach, Mississippi, made 6-of-12 shots from the floor en route to her team-high 14 points. Coffey, a native of Beaumont, sank 5-of-14 shots from the field and handed out one assist, finishing with 12 points on the night.
Sophomore Megan McDougald, a 6-3 center from The Woodlands, finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes of action after coming off the bench. Juniors Audrea Samuel and Bridgette Brackens each chipped in with nine points apiece. Samuel also added five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Northwestern State was led by Amanda Bennett with a game-high 23 points, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. Sheronda Bell added 17 points and 11 assists, while Ashley Sparkman finished the night with seven points and game-highs with eight blocks and 15 rebounds.
Lamar returns home for its next SLC contest, hosting Texas-San Antonio at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Montagne Center.
