For Immediate Release Dec. 4, 2017
 
Cardinals Place Focus on St. Thomas
 
BEAUMONT, Texas – Off to their best start since the 2008-09 season, the Lamar University men's basketball team (6-1) now turns its focus to St. Thomas (Texas). Just three days after their thrilling overtime victory at Coastal Carolina, the Cardinals return to the court to open a modest two-game homestand Tuesday evening.
 
Winners of three straight, and six of seven to open the year, the Cardinals enter the week looking for their first 7-1 start since the 1997-98 campaign. The Cardinals past two wins have come on the road at UTEP and Coastal Carolina and both wins came from opposite ends of the spectrum.
 
Big Red jumped out to a 13-0 lead at UTEP and never looked back leading by as many as 24 points before the Miners made a late run in the game's final two minutes to cut the deficit down to 14 points. Against the Chanticleers, LU led by 11 with less than three to play before CCU made a furious rally to tie the game force overtime. Despite having leading scorer and rebounder – Colton Weisbrod – foul out of the game in the extra period, the Cardinals slammed the door in Coastal's face shooting 4-of-5 from the field in the final five minutes for the win.
 
The impressive stat about the Cardinals' victory over Coastal Carolina are the stats that never happened. Junior Nick Garth, the team's second leading scorer, finished the night without a field goal. Classmate Josh Nzeakor spent a good majority of the second half on the bench due to foul trouble and finished night with only three rebounds. In addition to Nzeakor and Garth finishing under their season averages in points, sophomore T.J. Atwood – another player averaging in double digits – finished the game with just five points.
 
As a team, the Cardinals are scoring just under 80 points per game (79.4) and outscoring opponents by nearly 13 points per game. LU is also outrebounding opponents by more than two per game, but Big Red is coming off their worst night on the boards this season. The Chanticleers outrebounded LU, 47-29, a number that included 20 offensive rebounds.
 
Even when the Cardinals have struggled in other areas of the game, they've been able to limit an opponent's attempt to steal the momentum away with their success from three-point range. The Cardinals are shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc
 
LU enters Tuesday's showdown with four players averaging in double-figures, including six players scoring at least 9.0 per night. Senior Colton Weisbrod currently leads the team averaging 14.4 points per game and pulling down 7.9 rebounds per game.
 
The Celts head to the Golden Triangle a game over .500 (5-4) on the season, but has dropped its last three games. St. Thomas is coming off a 23-point setback at Sam Houston State last Thursday. The Celts bring a strong offense with them averaging better than 81 points per night. Shooting 47 percent from the field, the Celts have three players averaging in double figures, and six who score at least eight points per night. St. Thomas is led by Paris Marquez's 11.8 points per night.
 
The game against the Celts will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It can be heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI, and seen on ESPN3.
 
-LU CARDINALS-