BEAUMONT, Texas – Fresh off a 23-point drubbing of UT Rio Grande Valley, the Lamar University men's basketball team (3-3) returns to action Saturday evening to close out a three-game homestand. The Cardinals will host Idaho State at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Montagne Center looking to close out the current homestand with a 2-1 (.667) record.
Members of the Big Sky Conference, Idaho State is making its first trip to Beaumont, Texas, in the midst of a five-game road swing. It is a stretch that has ISU playing eight of nine games away from Pocatello, Idaho. The Bengals (2-3) head to the Golden Triangle looking to put an end to a three-game slide. After starting the season with back-to-back wins, Idaho State has dropped consecutive road contests to Washington State, Denver and Utah.
Despite their woes in the past three games, the Bengals bring a high-scoring offense into Beaumont which is putting up numbers similar to LU's Southland-leading scoring offense. ISU is averaging 79 points per game, compared to the Cardinals who lead the SLC at 81. The main difference is LU is outscoring its opponents by nearly 10 points per game, while the Bengals are being outscored by five points per game on the season.
The Bengals also bring in one of the best three-point shooting teams LU will see all season. The Bengals are shooting 42 from the field, and 41 percent from three-point range. ISU brings five players into the game who are shooting at least 35 percent, or better from beyond arc. Ali Faruq-Bey has knocked down a team-high 18 threes (.439) on the season, while sophomore Geno Luzcando is shooting 60 percent (9-of-15) from beyond the arc.
ISU is led by three players in double figures, including Faruq-Bey who is averaging nearly 18 points off the bench. It is a similar situation for the Cardinals who are being led by freshman
Nick Garth. The Houston, Texas native has come off the bench in all six games for head coach
Tic Price, and leads the team averaging 14 points per contest. Garth is coming off a career-high 21-point performance in the victory over UT Rio Grande Valley.
The Cardinals have also seen improved play from freshman post player
Dorian Chatman in the previous 60 minutes of basketball. The Port Arthur, Texas native, scored 11 points in the second half against UC Riverside, and continued that strong play in the win over UT Rio Grande Valley. Chatman netted a career-high 14 points on 4-of-8 (.500) shooting against the Vaqueros.
Another area the Cardinals will look to exploit is their effectiveness on the glass. The Red and White is averaging better than 45 rebounds per game this season, while Idaho State is grabbing fewer than 33 per game, and getting outrebounded by eight boards per game.
The Cardinals should have a huge advantage by playing on their home court. LU is two wins shy of 300 all-time in the Montagne Center and posted a near perfect 12-2 (.857) mark in the facility last year. The Bengals struggled away from home going 1-14 (.067) on the road last year, and have started the new season 0-3 in games away from Pocatello.
After their contest with the Bengals, LU will have a week to prepare for their trip to Virginia where it will take on Liberty, followed by a game against Virginia Tech the following evening.
-LU CARDINALS-
