BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals are in the unenviable task of trying to fight their way into the Southland Conference tournament in the final six games of the 2015-16 regular season. After a seven-game slide Big Red finds itself in 13^th place in the SLC standings a game back of Nicholls – a team LU holds the tiebreaker on. The Cardinals (10-14/2-10 SLC) will look to take their first step in the climb back up the conference ladder Monday when it travels to Houston to take on Houston Baptist. The Huskies are 14-11 (.560) on the season and tied for fourth in the league standings with an 8-4 (.667) conference record.
 
The Huskies find themselves in a different scenario than the first time the two teams met. In the first meeting, HBU was undefeated in league play, and in a three-way tie for first place. The Huskies enter Monday's matchup reeling after four consecutive losses, including an 80-68 decision at Sam Houston State Saturday which dropped HBU into a two-tie for fourth with the Bearkats.
 
The Cardinals have dominated the all-time series against HBU, but the Huskies have found some success in the series lately. HBU has won all four of its games in the last six meetings, including a 92-79 decision in Beaumont earlier this season. The two teams split the season series last year with each school winning on its home court. The Cardinals enter Monday's showdown not only looking to put an end to a four game slide but also will be looking for their first win against HBU in Houston.
 
The Cardinals also face the tough task of trying to beat one of the league's strongest teams when playing at home. HBU is 10-1 (.909) in Sharp Gym this season, while the Cardinals have struggled on the road with a 3-7 (.300) record.
 
Part of the reason for LU's struggles this season has been its youth movement. The Cardinals came into the 2015-16 season with one of the youngest teams in the country. Only 15 other NCAA Division I teams have more freshmen than the Cardinals, and LU ranks 22^nd nationally in terms of minutes played by freshmen. Among the 21 schools ranked ahead of Big Red only 10 have more wins than LU. The Cardinals' freshmen average nearly 68 minutes per game, 31.6 points scored and 13.3 rebounds per game.
 
One freshman who has had a major impact for the Cardinals this year is Houston native Nick Garth. The league's second-leading freshman scorer, Garth is averaging 14.6 points per game on the season, a number that jumps to 16 points during conference play. A strong candidate for league rookie of the year honors, Garth has scored in double figures in all but three games and is coming off a 20-point outing against Abilene Christian.
 
The Huskies are led offensively by Anthony Odunsi who is fourth in the league averaging better than 17 points per game. Despite their recent struggles, the Huskies rank third in the league in scoring (77.8 ppg), just ahead of the Red and White (76.0 ppg).
 
Monday's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
 
-LU CARDINALS-