CONWAY, Ark. – Lamar University got double-doubles from sophomore Josh Nzeakor and Colton Weisbrod, and knocked down 11 three-pointers to defeat Central Arkansas, 78-75, Monday evening in their Southland Conference opener.
 
The Cardinals' (9-5/1-0 Southland) hot shooting from the field allowed them to overcome a tough night from the free throw line (7-of-18/.389).
 
"I'm very proud of these guys tonight," said LU head coach Tic Price. "They came out and fought hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer. I thought we really did a good job on the glass which helped us overcome some moments where we were struggling.
 
"Obviously, you're never happy with a performance like that from the free throw line. We work on free throw shooting every practice, but I assure you we will spend more time on it before New Orleans comes to town," added Price.
 
Nzeakor netted a season-high 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Weisbrod added 13 points and 12 rebounds. It marks the second consecutive game that LU has had two players record double-doubles. Junior Joey Frenchwood's pursuit of his four consecutive double-double ended Monday with a 14-point, seven assist effort.
 
The Bears were led by Jordan Howard's 21 points. Matthieu Kamba added 18 points for the Bears but fouled out with nearly four minutes remaining in the contest.
 
The Cardinals knocked down 30-of-67 (.476) attempts, including 11 three-pointers in a night that saw Big Red above 50 percent until late in the contest. The Bears were 26-of-58 (.448) from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc going 3-of-11 (.273). Big Red dominated the glass outrebounding their hosts by 10, 42-32.
 
Turnovers was a tale of different halves for both teams. The Cardinals turned the ball over nine times in the opening half which led to 13 UCA points. The flip side saw Central Arkansas turn the ball over just three times in the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Cardinals came out in the second half with a stronger effort to disrupt the passing lanes forcing UCA into six early second-half turnovers. The Bears turned the ball over nine times in the second half – LU had just four in the second.
 
The Cardinals converted on four of their first five attempts and 10-of-18 to start the contest. In addition, to Big Red's strong start, UCA's Howard picked up two quick fouls and was sent to the bench early. The Cardinals took advantage of having one of the league's leading scorers on the bench by taking a nine-point lead. UCA was forced to put Howard back in the game and the Bears began to chip away at the lead.
 
After leading by nine, UCA trimmed the lead to two on a Thatch Unruh floater in paint. The Bears took their only lead of the half when Unruh was fouled on a three-pointer. He missed the shot but hit all three free throws to claim a one-point advantage. The Cardinals answered right back with a Weisbrod three-pointer to reclaim a two-point lead, 35-33. LU pushed the lead back to six before taking a three-point lead into the locker room.
 
LU was hurt by first half turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of action. The Cardinals turned the ball over nine times which UCA cashed in for 13 points. The Bears were forced into just three first-half miscues. The Cardinals managed to overcome their struggles holding on to the ball by lighting up the nets from beyond the arc.
 
Five different Cardinals hit a three-pointer in the opening half, including Frenchwood, Nick Garth and Lincoln Davis who each hit two. Big Red finished the half 8-of-18 (.444) from the three-point range.
 
The Red and White came out of the locker room re-focused on the defensive end of the court. After forcing the Bears into some early second-half turnovers LU built a double-digit lead, 62-51, with 12:57 remaining. The Bears continued to claw their way back into the game trimming the lead down to one, 69-68, with less than six minutes on the clock but LU never surrendered the advantage. Outside of a UCA three-pointer to start the second half tying the game at 43, the Cardinals never surrendered the lead the rest of the way.
 
Winners of four straight, the Cardinals will put their streak on the line Thursday when they return home to host New Orleans. The game against the Privateers will tip off approximately at 7:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the LU women's game.
 
-LU CARDINALS-