HOUSTON – The Lamar University Cardinals wasted no time in taking control of Wednesday's Southland Conference women's basketball game, scoring 17 of the game's first 19 points as they rolled to81-53 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies at Sharp Gym.
 
The Cardinals (18-6 overall, 11-3 Southland) received a career-high 32 points from senior post player Kiandra Bowers, who also had 11 rebounds for her sixth straight double-double and 15^th of the season. Freshman Kyla Green came off the bench and just missed her first career double-double, as she equaled her career of eight points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds.
 
After HBU took a 2-0 lead 35 seconds into the game, the Cardinals erased all doubt about the result of this one, going on a 17-0 run over the next 4:45 to build a 17-2 lead. The Huskies (5-18, 3-10) never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way. The Cardinals were up 23-9 after one quarter and 48-21 at halftime.
 
When all was said and done, 10 Cardinals scored at least two points, while 10 Cards grabbed at least one rebound as LU held a 54-39 rebounding edge. Ashlan Miles had 13 points for LU. Chastadie Barrs had seven assists and eight steals.
 
The Huskies had no answer for LU's inside game, as the Cardinals outscored HBU 46-24 in the paint. The LU defense kept the HBU shooters uncomfortable all night. HBU shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the field, including just 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from 3-point range. LU also had 17 steals, as HBU had 20 turnovers. The Cards took full advantage of HBU's sloppiness, outscoring the Huskies 32-10 in points off turnovers.
 
STANDINGS: LU remained one game behind SLC leading Central Arkansas. The Sugar Bears improved to 12-2 in conference play with a win over Sam Houston State on Wednesday. The Cards are percentage points behind Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian, who are both 10-2 in the conference. Stephen F. Austin hosts Abilene Christian on Thursday night.
 
IT TAKES A THIEF: Barrs now has at least one steal in all 55 games in her career. Her 112 steals this season are the third-highest total in program history, behind Ramona Jones'32 in 1990-91 and Barrs' 123 last season.
 
UP NEXT: The Cardinals wrap up their three-game road swing at 2 p.m. Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-15, 5-8). That game will be broadcast live on KLVI (AM 560) and streamed online on the ESPN3 app. LU's next home game is 2 p.m. Feb. 25 when HBU comes to the Montagne Center.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: LU now leads the all-time series 9-2. It was the first meeting between the teams since LU's 98-95 double-overtime win over the Huskies in the first round of last season's Southland Conference Tournament.
 
TICKETS: Tickets for all LU home games are available by calling 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. The Montagne Center ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. It opens one hour prior to tipoff on weekends.
 
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TICKETS: The LU ticket office is selling individual-game tickets and all-season ticket booklets for the Southland Conference Tournament, set for March 8-12 at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. Tickets for LU's first game are $15 each. The tournament ticket booklet, which includes the four sessions for the men's tournament and the four sessions for the women's tourney, is $60. Contact the LU ticket office at 409-880-1715, or visit https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/BuyNew.asp?EventID=213808&SponsorID=9259#.WKNpWtIrIpt for first-round tickets, or https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/season.asp?SeasonPassID=27#.WKNpddIrIpt for the ticket booklet. LU will also have a ticket window at the Merrell Center prior to each LU game in the tourney.