BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals open a three-game road swing this weekend with two games at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
 
The Cardinals (3-2) face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (1-2) at 2 p.m. Friday before meeting the Northern Illinois Huskies (3-1) at noon Saturday.
 
"We are going to face two good teams this weekend," LU coach Robin Harmony said. "We're playing at a neutral site. It's not like someone will have the advantage of playing on their home court. But we're in the state of Texas. We have to be sure to go out and set the tone."
 
The Cardinals come in riding the momentum of Tuesday's 101-37 victory over Howard Payne, a game that saw LU set a school record with 30 steals. Freshman Jadyn Pimentel came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points. DeA'ngela Mathis netted a career-best 15 points off the bench as LU's bench had a 53-5 advantage over Howard Payne's bench.
 
"It was good that we were able to get our bench to step up and contribute and give our starters some rest," Harmony said. "That's important when you have two games in two days."
 
Chastadie Barrs, who had 10 steals in Tuesday's win, leads the nation with an average of 7.4 steals per game. The junior guard has at least one steal in all 66 career games. Barrs leads the Cardinals in scoring at 16.0 points per game and leads in assists, averaging 6.4 per contest.
 
Moe Kinard averages 11.7 points per outing for the Cardinals, while Pimentel averages 10.4 points per game. Kiandra Bowers, who had her first double-double of the season and 25^th of her career in Tuesday's win, leads the Cardinals in rebounding at 7.6 per game. Bowers is averaging 8.8 points per game. Bowers needs just 14 points to become the 14^th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
 
North Dakota, which was an 82-52 winner over visiting UMass on Sunday, is led by Lexi Klabo, who averages team bests of 19.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
 
Northern Illinois has four players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Courtney Woods at 20.0 points per game.
 
Following this weekend's tournament, the Cardinals travel to Stockton, California, to meet the Pacific Tigers on Nov. 30. LU's next home game is 7 p.m. Dec. 4 vs. Schreiner.
 
TICKETS: For season tickets and individual-game tickets, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. The Montagne Center ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. It reopens one hour prior to tipoff on weeknights and weekends. LU students receive free admission to home games with their Cardinal One card, while Junior Cardinal Club members are admitted for free when they present their membership badge.