BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar coach Robin Harmony wanted her team to get off to a fast start against St. Thomas (Texas) on Saturday. She certainly got what she hoped for.

The Lady Cardinals (1-5) scored the contest's first 22 points en route to a 67-35 victory over the Celts (3-5) in a non-conference women's basketball game at the Montagne Center.

"It's certainly a relief to get that first win," Harmony said. "We needed this to get some confidence."

Junior guard Addesha Collins came off the bench to post career highs of 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals for Lamar.

"We knew Addesha had jet speed when we recruited her," Harmony said. "Today, she showed us what she can do. She's getting more comfortable."

Senior forward Caroline Adesulu had 11 rebounds and a game-high eight rebounds while tying a career high with five steals. Freshman guard Baileigh O'Dell had 10 points and a career-high five assists for Lamar. O'Dell has scored in double figures in five of the Lady Cardinals' six games this season.

"We changed our starting lineup around a bit," Harmony said. "Whoever plays the best in practice is going to see minutes in games."

The Lady Cardinals did get solid contributions from the reserves, outscoring St. Thomas 30-5 in bench points.

St. Thomas did not get on the board until Emily Sebo drained a 3-pointer with 9:29 remaining in the first half to cut Lamar's lead to 22-3. The Lady Cardinals led 34-16 at halftime and were never seriously threatened in the second half.

Lamar's defense came up with 23 steals on 36 St. Thomas turnovers. The Lady Cardinals had a 32-3 advantage in points off turnovers on the day.

"We know defense is important," Adesulu said. "We were very aggressive on defense throughout the game."

Lamar held a 46-40 rebounding edge and held St. Thomas to 25.5 percent shooting (12-of-47) from the floor, the lowest field-goal percentage by a Lamar opponent this season.

Danielle Parks led the Celts with 11 points.

Lamar closes out the home portion of its non-conference schedule by hosting Huston-Tillotson at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Fans can receive a free general admission ticket o the game when they bring a new, unopened toy to the game. All toys will go to CASA of Southeast Texas.

Following Tuesday's game, Lamar opens a four-game road swing when it travels to TCU on Dec. 11. The Lady Cardinals open Southland Conference play by hosting Nicholls at 4 p.m. Jan. 3.

"We want to build off of this win," Collins said. "We know we can get better."

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