BEAUMONT, Texas – Moe Kinard scored 21 points to lead four Lamar University Cardinals in double figures as LU extended its winning streak to 10 games with an 83-54 victory over the visiting UIW Cardinals in a Southland Conference women's basketball game Thursday night.
 
With the win, LU (11-3 overall, 4-0 Southland) remained tied with Stephen F. Austin for first place in the conference. SFA held on for a 70-61 win at Abilene Christian in a battle of the two other teams that were tied for first at the beginning of the day.
 
LU shot a season-best 60 percent (33-of-55) from the floor as well as a season-high 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from 3-point range as it rolled to another double-digit win. All 11 LU wins this season have been by at least 14 points.
 
"I'm gaining more confidence every day," said Kinard, who was 8-of-11 from the field. "I keep working on my shot, and it's paying off."
 
Kinard set a personal best with five 3-pointers, as she was 5-of-from behind the arc.
 
Kinard wasn't the only one to torch the nets from the field. Kiandra Bowers was 9-of-10 as she finished with 18 points; Ashlan Miles was 7-of-11 from the field as she finished with 18 points; Kiara Desamours went     4-for-6 as she ended the night with 12 points.
 
LU was a bit uncharacteristically sloppy in the first quarter, turning the ball over four times, just one fewer time than UIW. LU's shooting was the big reason it held a 21-16 lead after the opening frame, as LU was 8-of-16 (50 percent) from the floor.
 
LU was even hotter in the second quarter, connecting on 8 of its 12 shots (66.7 percent) from the field in the period to increase its lead to 40-28 at the break. Miles was 5-of-6 from the field in the first half for 13 points, while Kinard was 4-of-5 from the floor as she went into the locker room with 11 points. LU pulled away from its guests in the third quarter, outscoring UIW 28-13 to take a 68-41 lead into the final period.
 
LU was a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, committing eight turnovers in the final period, but the decision was well in hand.
 
"I was a little unhappy with the turnovers," Harmony aid. "We need to do a better job of taking care of the ball."
 
LU's Chastadie Barrs had four steals on the night, giving her 187 for her career, putting her fourth on LU's all-time list. The sophomore has at least one steal in all 45 games in her career. Barrs also handed out a game-high seven assists, as she moved into 10^th place on LU's career chart with 212.
 
Bowers added a game-high 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season and 14^th of her career.
 
Harmony was especially pleased with the play of freshman Bre'Osha Scott, who came off the bench to score a career-high four points. Scott also equaled career highs with three rebounds, two assists and 13 minutes.
 
"Bre'Osha has been working hard, and she came in and did a tremendous job for us tonight," Harmony said.
 
Imani Robinson led UIW (4-12, 2-3) with 16 points.
 
LU hopped on a bus immediately after the game to head to Abilene for a meeting with Abilene Christian, the defending regular-season champions, at 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
"Abilene Christian is a tough team, especially at home," Harmony said. "We have to be ready for them."
 
Saturday's game opens a three-game road swing for LU, which is at Sam Houston State on Jan. 18 and Nicholls on Jan. 21, before returning home to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 25.
 
"We're going to take it one game at a time," Harmony said. "We're not thinking about the winning streak. We're just focusing on the next opponent."
 
Saturday's game will air live on KLVI (AM 560).