Box Score Feb. 3, 2010
Box Score
Justin Nabors had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Lamar to a hard-fought 73-65 win over Central Arkansas at the Montagne Center Wednesday.
Lamar (12-11, 4-4 Southland) pulled to .500 in conference play at the midway point in the league slate and improved to 11-2 at home this season. The Cardinals shot 51 percent from the field and converted 18-of-21 free throws for a season-best 85.7 percent..
For Nabors, it was his 11th double-double of the season as he shot 8-of-13 from the floor with 16 points and six boards after halftime. Anthony Miles was 9-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with 15 points, while Charlie Harper posted his second-consecutive double-figure game with 11 points to go along with a career-high seven assists.
UCA (7-15, 1-7 SLC) shot 43 percent in the game and was just 15-of-25 at the line. Mitch Rueter led the Bears with 23 points and four 3-pointers.
The first half had three tie scores and four lead changes. After UCA tied it at 21 on a Chris Poellnitz free throw with 5:52 to play, Lamar went on a 16-4 run and closed the period and led 39-28 at the break.
The teams traded scores for the opening two minutes of the second period and the Cards held a 45-35 lead with 17:50 to play. But the Bears cut it to 48-47 thanks to a 12-3 run with 13:49 showing on the clock. Then the teams went cold offensively as neither club scored for the next 3:47.
Coy Custer snapped the cold spell for Lamar with a trey from the right wing before Rueter answered a possession later with his own long ball. The LU lead stayed within three to six points for the seven minutes before the Cardinals got some defensive stops and added to their free throw totals in the final two minutes. Big red was 3-for-3 from the line late and got a pair of fastbreak layups to remain perfect in six meetings with the Bears.
Lamar held a 33-26 rebounding margin but surrendered 14 points off 14 turnovers. The Cards' bench outscored their counterparts 17-4.
Lamar will play host to Stephen F. Austin (16-5, 6-2) on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. It will mark the first visit to Beaumont by the Lumberjacks in three seasons.
