KATY, Texas – The Lamar University women's basketball team has walked off the court victorious 642 times in its career. Very few, if any, of those victories were as gutsy as the win LU claimed Thursday in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
The already-shorthanded eight-seeded Cardinals overcame illness and injury to outlast fifth-seeded Houston Baptist 98-95 in overtime at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
 
"It was definitely a gritty win," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "I think our young kids decided it was time to win one of these close games. These kids grew up today."
 
Chastadie Barrs had her first career double-double to lead the Cardinals (12-18). Barrs, who played all 50 minutes, had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Addesha Collins, who had to be carried off the floor at one point after suffering leg cramps, finished with a game-high 23 points and a career-high seven steals. Collins was 15-of-18 from the line, coming within one made free throw of tying the LU single-season game record set by Gia Ayers.
 
Baileigh O'Dell and Laka Blache added 16 points apiece for LU, while Khali Pippins-Tryon came in off the bench to contribute 11 points. Kiara Desamours, who was battling stomach illness scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds.
 
Harmony said the entire team contributed to the win.
 
"We knew going in that Kiara had the stomach flu, but she went out there when most kids wouldn't. It says a lot about our kids coming off the bench saying that we're going to get the win, it wasn't just our starters this time. The whole team, whether they were on the floor or on the bench cheering, they helped us get that win."
 
O'Dell was the hero in overtime for LU. After going 2-of-16 from the field, including 0-of-5 from 3-point range in regulation, the sophomore guard went 3-of-6, all from downtown, in the extra periods. She also hit three of her free-throw attempts in overtime.
 
O'Dell's first trey gave LU an 84-83 lead with 28 seconds remaining in the first overtime. O'Dell then scored nine straight LU points in the second OT to give the Cardinals a 95-90 lead with 3:06 remaining in the second overtime period. HBU (14-15) could get no closer than three points the rest of the way.
 
"I breathed a sigh of relief when that first 3-pointer went in," O'Dell said. "As a shooter, you have to forget the ones that you miss. My coaches and teammates still had confidence in me."
 
LU set a tournament record with 21 steals, while HBU shattered the tournament mark for turnovers with 32, 19 of those after intermission.
 
Anna Strickland finished with a double-double for HBU, scoring 21 points and setting a tournament record with 31 rebounds. Monet Neal also had 21 points for the Huskies, while Rachel Arthur scored 13 points and Ekemini Essien added 11 points.
 
It was the first tournament win for the Cardinals since a first-round win over Stephen F. Austin in 2013. LU was a top seed in 2014 and a second seed in 2015, but lost its first game each time after getting a bye into the semifinals.
 
"We spent a lot of energy on this, but now we know what it feels like to win a conference (tournament) game," Harmony said. "We'll get some rest and be ready to go on Friday. Last year, HBU was the eighth seed, and made it all the way to the championship game. That is something we told our players about."
 
The Cardinals face fourth-seeded McNeese State at 11 a.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. McNeese State defeated LU twice this season, rallying from double-digit deficits in both games.
 
"We're excited to have another opportunity to place McNeese State," Blache said. "They are our rivals. We know we let both of those games get away from us."
 
Friday's game will air live on KLVI (AM 560) and will be streamed online on ESPN3. Tickets are available at the Merrell Center box office.