BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals return to the postseason for the 11^th consecutive year when they face Houston Baptist in the first round of the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at 11 a.m. Thursday in at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
 
The eighth-seeded Cardinals (11-18 overall, 7-11 Southland) are seeking their first tournament title since 2010. The fifth-seeded Huskies (14-14, 9-9), who advanced to the tournament finals last season, are seeking their first-ever Southland Conference crown.
 
"We look at it as if it were a new season. We're starting over at 0-0," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "We've had some adversity this year, but we're in the tournament. This will be a great experience for our young players to get a taste of the postseason. This is a big positive for us."
 
With just one senior on the roster (guard Addesha Collins), LU has relied heavily on its youngsters. The Cardinals have often had three freshmen and two sophomores, or four freshmen and one sophomore on the court.
 
Two of those freshmen received major Southland Conference awards on Tuesday, as guard Chastadie Barrs was named Defensive Player of the Year, while forward Kiara Desamours was named Freshman of the Year.
 
"After almost 30 games, I really don't consider them freshmen anymore," Harmony said. "They're big-time players for us, and we need them to come up big time at the tournament."
 
Barrs, the first freshman to ever win SLC Defensive Player of the Year accolades (men's or women's basketball), is second in the nation in steals, averaging 4.03 per game, just behind Ashley Deary of Northwestern, who averages 4.06 per game. Barrs is often defending the opponent's top scorer.
 
"Defense is a lot of heart, and Chastadie has that," Harmony said. "It's something she takes pride in, and it shows."
 
Barrs has also contributed offensively, averaging 10.0 points per game while leading LU with 112 assists.
 
Desamours leads all Southland Conference freshmen in scoring (10.9) and rebounding (7.0). She improved those numbers in conference play, averaging 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
"Kiara had a great season, and I know she can be even better," Harmony said. "There's a high ceiling for her. She just has to keep working like she has been."
 
Collins leads LU in scoring at 14.9 points per game.
 
This is the first time LU and HBU will meet in the postseason. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 7-2. The teams split two regular-season contests this year, with the home team winning each time. Collins had 24 points for LU in a 77-70 win at the Montagne Center on Jan. 23, and 26 points in a 77-66 loss at HBU on Feb. 10.
 
The Huskies got double-doubles in each game from Anna Strickland, who had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the game at LU, and 27 points and 16 rebounds in HBU's win.
 
"We have to be ready to play 40 minutes, if not more," Harmony said. "We want to make the most of this opportunity."
 
The winner of Thursday's game faces fourth-seeded McNeese State at 11 a.m. Friday. The winner of that game faces top-seeded Central Arkansas at 1 p.m. Saturday. The championship game is set for 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
 
All of LU's games will be broadcast on KLVI (AM 560). All tournament games, with the exception of the championship game, will be steamed live on ESPN3. The title game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 221, Dish 158).
 
For ticket information, call 409-880-1715. Tickets will be available on game day at the Merrell Center ticket office.