Jan. 9, 2014
BEAUMONT, Texas -Sophomore JaMeisha Edwards scored 21 points to lead a balanced attack to lead the Lamar Lady Cardinals to an 82-68 win over visiting Nicholls in a Southland Conference women's basketball game Thursday evening.
Lamar (7-7 overall, 2-1 Southland) had five players score in double figures as the Lady Cardinals handed the Colonels (7-7, 2-1) their first conference loss of the season.
"Teams are finding out we're not one dimensional, that we have a number of people who can score," Lamar coach Robin Harmony said. "They can't just focus on stopping one player."
Edwards, who had a career-high 28 points in Lamar's 84-79 win at Northwestern State on Saturday, had the second-highest scoring performance of her career Thursday.
"I've been working on my shot and getting more confidence," Edwards said. "Before this year, I never had the chance to show what I can do. Now that I have that chance, I'm taking advantage of it."
Edwards drained a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the first half to cap a 9-0 Lamar run as the Lady Cardinals carried a 42-30 lead into the locker room. Nicholls never got any closer than seven points in the second half.
Gia Ayers had 15 points, six rebounds and a game-high eight assists for Lamar. Dominique Edwards and Shauna Long added 12 points apiece for Lamar, while Alice Robinson added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the win.
Emani White had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Nicholls, which came in off a pair of impressive Southland wins (89-40 over New Orleans and 84-55 over Southeastern Louisiana).
"That's a good win over a good team," Harmony said. "They are well coached, and they can shoot."
Both teams were deadly from long range. The Lady Cardinals tied their season high with 12 3-pointers, while Nicholls finished with 10 treys.
Lamar returns to action at 4 p.m. Saturday when it hosts McNeese State. The Cowgirls (9-5, 2-1) posted a 59-55 win at Sam Houston State on Thursday.
"We have to build off this win," Harmony said. "We can go to 3-1 in the conference or go back to .500. Every game is tough."
Fans attending Saturday's game will receive a free koozie courtesy of Philpott Ford. Saturday's game will be the first contest of a doubleheader, with the Lamar men's team hosting McNeese State in the nightcap. Both games will air live on KLVI (AM 560) with a simulcast on www.LamarCardinals.com. For ticket information, call (409) 880-1715 or visit LamarCardinals.com.
Saturday is also Military Appreciation Day, with all military personnel receiving free admission with a valid ID.
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