Jan. 20, 2007
Box Score
BEAUMONT - Junior Lamar Sanders recorded his seventh double-double of the season, but Northwestern State was too much for the Cardinals in claiming an 81-68 decision over Lamar University in Southland Conference men's basketball action Saturday night at the Montagne Center.
Lamar dropped to 8-11 overall and 2-3 in SLC play. Northwestern State evened its record at 9-9 overall and improved to 4-2 in SLC play. The Cardinals hit the road next Sunday for a 5 p.m. game at McNeese State.
After trailing by as much as seven points in the first half, Lamar rallied with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 23-23 on a layup by Sanders at 4:06. A Darren Hopkins three-pointer at 1:32 capped a quick 5-0 run that gave the Cardinals the lead at 30-29. However, the Demons scored the final four points of the opening stanza to take a 33-30 halftime lead.
A jumper by Gerrell Thomas gave the Demons a six-point lead, 41-35, with 16:44 remaining in the second half. Lamar answered with a 7-0 run, taking a 42-41 lead on a Sanders 3-pointer at 15:00. Thomas and the Cardinals' James Davis exchanged lay-ups to make the score 44-43.
Trey Gilder hit a layup at 12:30 that gave the Demons the lead for good at 45-44. Leading 49-47, Northwestern State went on a 21-2 run to extend its lead to 70-49 on a Luke Rogers layup at 6:28.
Sanders scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in recording his second straight double-double. He also added five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Lawrence Nwevo scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. Currye Todd added 10 points.
Lamar shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field, 25 percent (5-of-20) from 3-point range and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free throw line.
Colby Bargeman led NSU with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Rogers added 14 points and Gilder came off the bench to score 12 points. Thomas added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. Kennan Jones led the team with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
NSU shot 44.6 percent (33-of-74) from the field, 25 percent (4-of-16) from 3-point range and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the free throw line. The Demons forced 24 turnovers, which led to 27 points.
