BEAUMONT, Texas – Moe Kinard poured in a career-high 31 points to lead the Lamar University Cardinals to their ninth straight win, an 86-68 victory over Southeastern Louisiana, in a Southland Conference women's basketball game at the Montagne Center on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Kiandra Bowers matched her career high with 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and 13^th of her career as the Cardinals (10-3 overall, 3-0 Southland) moved into a three-way tie with Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian at the top of the SLC standings.
 
The nine-game winning streak is the second longest in program history. The school record is a 14-game winning streak in the 1990-91 season.
 
"I'm glad that we got the W. I don't think that we played great defense," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "We're going to make some adjustments. We made some mistakes, but they're not going to learn until they make those mistakes. So, it's nice to get the win and to learn."
 
The Cardinals never trailed on Saturday, but the Lady Lions (3-12, 1-3) stayed close thanks to some hot shooting. Southeastern Louisiana shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (15-of-18) from the free-throw line.
 
The Cardinals shot the ball well also, connecting on 48.5 percent (33-of-68) of their shots. LU was extremely torrid in the first half, shooting 56.7 percent (17-of-30) as it built a 45-35 lead heading into intermission.
 
The Lady Lions had trouble stopping the Cardinals inside all day long, as LU held a 52-11 advantage in points in the paint.
 
"We can score at will, and even when we make mistakes, we can come back and score," Harmony said. "That's what we were able to do today."
 
The Cardinals, who entered the game as the nation's leader in turnovers forced, boosted that total Saturday, as Southeastern Louisiana committed 32 turnovers, the second-highest total by an LU opponent this season. LU had a 39-16 edge in points off turnovers.
 
"I love our style of play," Kinard said. "It's fast paced. I feel like I fit right in."
 
Bowers was especially dominant in the second half, collecting 15 points and eight rebounds over the final two quarters.  The national leader in offensive rebounds had seven offensive boards on Saturday.
 
"I definitely want to be aggressive on the boards," Bowers said. "It's something I take pride in."
 
Kiara Desamours had 14 points for LU, while Chastadie Barrs just missed a triple-double as she finished with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Barrs also had three steals as she kept her streak alive. The sophomore guard has at least one steal in all 44 games in her career.
 
Taylin Underwood led Southeastern Louisiana with22 points and 10 rebounds. Charliee Dugas added 12 points for the Lady Lions, while Bre Warren had 11 points off the bench.
 
UP NEXT: The Cardinals host Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Montagne Center to close the three-game homestand. UIW (4-11, 2-2) fell to visiting New Orleans by a 71-67 score on Saturday. LU will hop on a bus immediately following Thursday night's game to head to Abilene Christian for a showdown with the defending regular-season champion Wildcats at 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
ON THE AIR: Thursday's game vs. Incarnate Word will be streamed live on ESPN3. The contest at ACU will air live on KLVI (AM 560).
 
TICKETS: For tickets for all LU home games, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.