KATY, Texas – Addesha Collins scored a career-high 35 points Friday, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Lamar University Cardinals' season from coming to an and, as LU dropped an 88-78 decision to McNeese State in the second round of the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.
 
Collins' 35 points were the most scored by an LU player this season. The senior guard ended her career in record-breaking fashion, setting a single-season LU mark for successful free throws with 175, as she went 12-of-12 from the line.
 
"It's heartbreaking to have our season come to an end," said Collins, the lone senior on the LU roster. "We wanted to keep going and keep pushing. We gave it all we had."
 
The eighth-seeded Cardinals (12-19), who survived an epic 98-95 double-overtime battle with Houston Baptist the day before, came out firing in the early going. LU used a 13-0 run to build a 42-23 lead with 4:35 remaining in the second quarter, only to see McNeese State (20-11) respond with a 13-0 run of its own.
 
"They hit a 3-pointer and that was a momentum changer," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "They hit one and they got hot. We couldn't stop them."
 
McNeese State held a 51-36 rebounding edge on LU. The Cowgirls took advantage of 27 offensive rebounds to outscore LU 26-10 on second-chance points.
 
"We didn't go a good job of boxing out," Harmony said. "We needed to have a better effort there."
 
 Collins tied for team-high honors in rebounding with Laka Blache, as each finished with seven. Blache added 14 points for the Cardinals.
 
LU led 44-40 at intermission, but were outscored 31-14 in the third quarter by the Cowgirls.
 
"The third quarter has been a problem for us all season," Harmony said. "It happened again today. But give McNeese State credit. They played well."
 
The Cardinals stayed close thanks to nine steals and 23 McNeese State turnovers, as the Cardinals had a 30-16 advantage in points off of turnovers.
 
Baileigh O'Dell had 11 points for LU, while Chastadie Barrs had eight points, five assists and two steals. Barrs had at least one steal in every game this season, finishing the year with 123 steals.
 
Allison Baggett led McNeese State with 30 points. Baggett was 5-of-12 from 3-point range. As a team McNeese State was 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Jayln Johnson finished with 23 points for the Cowgirls, while Frederica Haywood grabbed 23 rebounds.
 
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Harmony is optimistic about the future of the program.
 
"We're going to miss Addesha, but our four freshmen gained a lot of experience this season. We had the conference Freshman of the Year (Kiara Desamours) and a freshman who was Defensive Player of the Year (Barrs).
 
"Laka really showed improvement as a sophomore this year. We have a great incoming class. There's plenty to be excited about."