BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team enters Wednesday evening's game in a position it hasn't been in all season – having to respond to a loss. No coach will admit to a loss being a good thing, but one positive to the Cardinals' (3-1) 12-point setback to Cal State Bakersfield Sunday is it will give the coaching staff an early season look at how the team responds to adversity.
 
The challenge for Big Red comes in the form of Southern University (New Orleans). The Knights come to Beaumont with a 1-3 (.250) overall record but their victory came during their last outing, a five-point overtime victory against Mobile. Although the Knights may not present the same challenges that Bakersfield did (the Roadrunners had two players 6-10 or taller), they are still an explosive team offensively.
 
SUNO enters the pre-Thanksgiving contest averaging nearly 78 points per game, and have four players averaging better than 10 points per contest. The Knights will be different from the Cards' previous four opponents from the standpoint they don't look to put up as many three-pointers – SUNO averages just six three-pointers made per game.
 
The Knights are led by one of nation's (NAIA) leading scorers, George Brock. Averaging 19.3 points per game, Brock has the ability to carry the team having already recorded two 20-point efforts (including a 31-point performance last time out.
 
For the Cardinals, they will look to correct all the areas that seemed to fail them in Sunday's loss. LU was beat on the glass by nine against the Roadrunners, 35-26. The Cardinals early season success at the free throw line also went south in the second half against CSUB converting just 13-of-21 attempts (.619), after hitting 77 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
 
An area that has been a strength throughout the early stages of the 2017-18 season, the Cardinals continue to get help up and down the roster. Nine players checked into the lineup Sunday and all nine scored, including five with at least eight points.
 
The Cardinals are averaging 79 points per game on the season, outscoring opponents by nine. Even with Sunday's numbers, Big Red continues to outrebound opponents on the year by four boards per night. As a team, the Cardinals are also shooting nearly 35 percent from three-point range.
 
Wednesday's contest will be the final game of a four-game homestand for the Cardinals. With a victory against SUNO, the Cardinals will lock up a winning record in the season-long homestand.
 
Wednesday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It can also be seen live on ESPN3, and heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
 
-LU CARDINALS-