ABILENE, Texas – The Lamar University women's basketball team looks to hand Abilene Christian its first Southland Conference loss of the season when the teams square off at 2 p.m. Saturday in ACU's Moody Coliseum. (Radio: LLVI AM 560).
 
Saturday's game is the first of a home-and-home series between the Cardinals and the Wildcats. Abilene Christian visits LU's Montagne Center at 7 p.m. Thursday.
 
"We know Abilene Christian is a very good team," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "They will be tough on their home floor. We have to play for all 40 minutes. We can't afford to take a few minutes off."
 
LU (8-12 overall, 4-5 Southland) saw its two-game winning streak with a tough 78-76 home loss to Sam Houston State on Wednesday, a contest the Cardinals led heading into the fourth quarter.
 
"I think the loss served as a lesson for us," said LU sophomore guard Baileigh O'Dell, who had a team-high 20 points against Sam Houston State. "We take pride in our defense, but we made some mistakes and it cost us. We know we're better than that."
 
Abilene Christian (17-2, 8-0) is led offensively by Alexis Mason, who averages 16.7 points per game. Sydney Shelstead (14.9) and Whitney West (11.3) are also double-digit scorers for the Wildcats. ACU brings a 13-game winning streak into Saturday's contest. The Wildcats, who are 8-0 at home, haven't tasted defeat since a 71-65 loss at Texas Tech on Dec. 2.
 
ACU, which is making the transition from Division II to Division I is not eligible for the postseason, meaning the Wildcats won't compete in this season's Southland Conference Tournament as well as the NCAA and WNIT tournaments.
 
LU, which is currently tied with Sam Houston State for the fifth seed in March's Southland Conference Tournament, is led in scoring by senior guards JaMeisha Edwards (14.6) and Addesha Collins (14.1). Freshman guard Chastadie Barrs and freshman forward Kiara Desamours are tied for third on the team's scoring chart, averaging 9.7 points per game. Barrs remains second in the nation in steals, averaging 3.90 per outing.
 
The Cardinals are scheduled to return home immediately after Saturday's game as they prepare for Thursday's rematch with ACU. LU remains home to host Incarnate Word at 2 p.m. Feb. 6. Both of next week's home games will be shown on ESPN3. The Incarnate Word game will also be broadcast on KLVI. For ticket information, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.