BEAMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team (11-15/3-11 Southland) steps on the court Monday looking for its second consecutive win, but to do that the Cards will have to take down the two-time defending conference champion Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
 
The two teams enter the night at opposite ends off the conference spectrum. LU is 13^th in the league standings, a game back of Nicholls in the loss column, while the Lumberjacks are undefeated in Southland play and riding a 13-game win streak (20-5/13-0 SLC).
 
For one of the few times during conference play, the Cardinals enter a contest looking to making it two in row. Big Red is coming off a momentum-building win at Lake Charles, La. Saturday afternoon that not only ended an eight-game slide this season, but stopped a drought to rival McNeese State on the road that dates back to the 1997-98 season.
 
The Cardinals flipped the scenario of slow starts and falling just short late in games by jumping out to a double-digit first-half lead against the Cowboys. The Cardinals led by 19 points at halftime and never really looked back. The Cowboys made a couple of runs late in the game, but LU always had an answer. The answer came in the form of junior Marcus Owens for the majority of the night. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native scored a career-high 21 points on the night and was a near perfect 7-of-8 from the field, which included a 5-of-6 performance from beyond the arc.
 
In addition to Owens, head coach Tic Price is getting improved play from sophomore point guard Kevin Booze. The Irving, Texas native has not only improved his scoring over the course of the past two games but also for his ability to run the offense. He has recorded 16 assists – including a career-high 11 at Houston Baptist – in the past two games with only two turnovers.   
 
The Lumberjacks are coming off a 35-point drubbing of Nicholls, and are led by reigning player of the year Thomas Walkup. SFA comes to town with the league's second-best scoring offense (79.3 ppg), and leads the Southland in scoring defense (64.3 ppg). Walkup is making another push for player of the year honors. The senior is fifth in the conference in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg).
 
The Cardinals are looking to flip a recent trend against SFA. Big Red has dropped seven straight to the Lumberjacks, including an 86-52 decision in Nacogdoches earlier this season. LU is three games above .500 (16-13/.552) all-time against the 'Jacks in Beaumont and looking for their first win in the series since the 2012 Southland tournament.
 
Monday's game is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center, and will be televised on ESPN3 – the network's online platform. Tickets for LU basketball can be purchased by clicking here.
  
LU vs. the Lumberjacks
The Cardinals trail the all-time series against Stephen F. Austin, 25-30 (.455), and have dropped seven straight including an 86-52 decision in Nacogdoches last month. The Cardinals are three games above .500 (16-13/.552) against SFA all-time in Beaumont. LU is looking for its first win over the 'Jacks since the 2012 Southland Conference tournament, and its first win in the Montagne since the 2009-10 season.
 
Price vs. the Lumberjacks
LU head coach Tic Price is preparing to coach against Stephen F. Austin for the 15th time in his career. He is 5-9 (.357) all-time in those games.
 
Home Sweet Home
The Cardinals have made the Montagne Center one of the toughest venues for opponents to play over the course of its 30-plus year history. The Cardinals have posted a 303-151 (.667) record in the Montagne Center. LU recorded a program-best 15 home victories during the 1987-88 season. LU was 12-2 (.857) at home last year, and is 7-7 (.500) this season.
 
Cardinals on ESPN3
Lamar University announced an agreement with ESPN3 last month to have all of their home games televised by the nationwide leader in sports. ESPN3 is the network's online platform.  The Cards are 1-6 (.143) at home since announcing the agreement with ESPN3.
 
Home/Away Comparisons
The Cardinals are a .500 basketball at home (7-7) this season but have dropped four consecutive in the Montagne Center. SFA is 4-4 (.500) on the road in 2015-16 but all four losses came in non-conference play.
 
On this Date in History
The Cardinals are 8-12 (.400) all-time in games played on the 22nd day of February. LU has faced SFA one other time on Feb. 22, that contest was won by the Lumberjacks during the 2011-12 season.
 
Lamar in February
The LU Cardinals are 266-261 (.505) all-time in the month of February. Big Red has produced above .500 records in the month 27 times in program history, which includes four perfect months (1960-61, 1963-64, 1983-84 and 2007-08). The Cardinals recorded a school record 10 wins in the month of February twice (1960-61 and 1983-84). The February record jumps to 173-96 (.643) in home games. LU is 92-181 (.337) during February road games.
 
Youth Movement
The 2015-16 version of the Cardinals is one of the youngest teams in the country. Only 15 other NCAA Division I teams have more freshmen than the Cardinals, and LU ranks among the top 25 nationally in terms of minutes played by freshmen. Among the 21 schools ranked ahead of the Cardinals only 10 have more wins on the season than Big Red. The team with the most minutes played by freshmen (Bradley) only has five wins on the year. The Cards' freshmen average 67.1 minutes played per game, 31.1 points scored and 13.4 rebounds per game.
 
The World according to Garth
Freshman guard Nick Garth has made the transition from high school basketball to NCAA Division I hoops look fairly easy. The Houston, Texas native scored in double figures in all but four of the team's games this season, which includes his first two career starts. He is the Southland's second-leading freshman scorer averaging 14.4 points per game (Jaylen Franklin - 15.9 ppg).
 Scoring Punch off the Bench
Freshman Nick Garth has a chance to accomplish something that hasn't happened at LU in several years. The Houston, Texas product has come off the bench in all but five games this season, and leads the team in scoring. If he continues to the lead the team, he would be just the third player in program history to be a reserve and lead the team in that category, and he would be just the second freshman to accomplish the feat. The other two players are Joey Ray (2000-01 - six starts) and Keith Veney (1992-93 - 13 starts).
 
Keeping Postseason Hopes Alive
With Saturday's win in Lake Charles, the Cardinals remain in the hunt for a berth in the 2016 Southland Conference Championship tournament. The Cardinals are currently 13th in the SLC standings just a game back of Nicholls, but three teams ahead of LU are ineligible for the conference tournament (Central Arkansas, Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian). The Cards need at least one more win to move into the league's top eight. The Cards are separated from the next four teams in the standings by only two games.
 
Double-Double
Sophomore point guard Kevin Booze recorded one of the best games of his career Monday at Houston Baptist. The Irving, Texas native recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists againt the Huskies. It is the most assists by a Cardinal since Anthony Holliday dished out 11 against Champion Baptist last season. Booze followed that up with another strong performance Saturday scoring 13 points and dishing out five assists (with no turnovers) in the win over McNeese State. Booze is averaging 15 points and eight assists per game (with a total of two turnovers) in the last two games.
 
Cards End Lake Charles Drought
The Cardinals ended a 15-game winless streak in Lake Charles with Saturday's 87-76 victory over McNeese State. It marked the first victory over the Cowboys in Lake Charles since the 1997-98 season.
 
Career High
Junior Marcus Owens recorded one of the best games of his career at McNeese State Saturday netting a career-high 21 points on 7-of-8 (.875) shooting, including a 5-of-6 (.833) performance from beyond the three-point arc. Owens is averaging 17.0 points per game in the team's last three games.
 
Air Raid
The Cardinals knocked down 10-of-19 (.526) attempts from three-point land against McNeese State. It was the fourth time this season LU has hit at least 10 threes in a game, and it is the second time Big Red has shot at leasst 50 percent from beyond the arc (vs. Houston Baptist, 1/23/16).
 
Up Next ...
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Feb. 27 when they travel to San Antonio, Texas to take on Incarnate Word. The game against the UIW Cardinals will tip off at 4:30 p.m. LU returns to the Montagne Center two nights later for the rematch with McNeese State. The game against the Cowboys will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN3.