BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals look to get back to .500 in Southland Conference play when they host the Houston Baptist Huskies at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Montagne Center.
 
The Cardinals (7-11 overall, 3-4 Southland) snapped a modest three-game skid with a 64-60 win at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday for their first road victory of the season as Baileigh O'Dell scored a career-high 25 points.
 
"It was good to get that first road win and good to get back on the winning track," Lu coach Robin Harmony said of the victory over the Lumberjacks. "Hopefully, that is something we can build on."
 
The win put the Cardinals back in the thick of things in the battle for a berth in this season's Southland Conference Tournament. LU is tied with Sam Houston State for the tournament's sixth seed with 11 games remaining. Eight teams will compete in the tournament, set for March 10-13 in Katy, Texas.
 
The Cardinals have battled injuries as they remain in in the hunt for a tourney berth. LU has been without post player Kiandra Bowers since the second game of the season, while senior guard JaMeisha Edwards has missed the last three games.
 
"Our freshmen and sophomores have stepped up," Harmony said. "They really came through at SFA."
 
In addition to the 25 points from O'Dell, a sophomore guard, LU got big contributions from freshman forward Kiara Desamours and freshman guard Chastadie Barrs in the win at SFA. Desamours had 15 points and nine rebounds in the victory, while Barrs added 10 points, four assists and four steals. Barrs ranks third in the nation in steals, averaging 3.83 per game.

The Huskies are led by senior forward Anna Strickland, who averages 13.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Strickland is fourth in the nation in rebounding, while her 12 double-doubles rank fifth in Division I.
 
Monet Neal (1.4) and Rachel Arthur (12.0) also average in double figures in scoring for the Huskies.
 
LU leads the overall series 6-1. The Cardinals swept the two-game series with HBU last season.
 
The Cardinals remain home to host Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. Wednesday before opening a home-and-home series with conference-leading Abilene Christian. LU is at Abilene Christian at 2 p.m. Saturday before hosting the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Feb. 4.
 
Saturday's game against HBU is the opening contest of a basketball doubleheader at the Montagne Center, with the men's game between the Cardinals and Huskies to follow at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be shown on ESPN3 and aired live on KLVI (AM 560).

All youths who attended LU basketball camps this past summer receive free admission to Saturday's doubleheader when they wear their camp T-shirt. Campers will have the opportunity to compete in on-court promotional contests throughout the game. Lamar University students who live on campus in a residence hall will have a chance to compete for a pizza party for their residence hall (based on attendance). For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.