BEAUMONT, Texas – For the third time this season the Lamar University men's basketball team went to overtime before the game was decided, but for the first time Big Red picked up the victory. The Cardinals (15-9/7-4 SLC) sent shockwaves through the Southland Conference Thursday evening knocking off preseason favorite Sam Houston State, 80-76.
 
"For 45 minutes tonight you got to see two very talented teams battle," said LU head coach Tic Price. "I thought our guys showed some toughness tonight. I felt like we were locked in from the opening tip. We got some valuable minutes from Marcus Owens off the bench."
 
"I thought our sixth man was the football team. The whole football team was here tonight, along with several other teams and they were loud and engaged all night. Our community really came out to support us, like they have been all season. This was a total team effort and we couldn't have done it without them," added Price.
 
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Picked 12^th in the preseason polls, the Cardinals were written off as a league doormat before the season got started. Sam Houston State was the preseason favorite and no one believed this game would matter – no one those in the LU locker room.
 
The game consisted of 20 lead changes and 16 ties before the final horn sounded. The Bearkats finished the night 27-of-58 (.466) from the field, but LU matched their guests every step of the way. The Red and White were 28-of-63 (.444) from the field, including an 8-of-23 (.348) from beyond the arc. SHSU struggled from long range connecting on just 4-of-13 (.308) attempts.
The one area where the Bearkats had a significant advantage came at the free throw line. SHSU knocked down 18-of-22 (.818) attempts, but the Cardinals struggled finishing the night just below 60 percent. LU countered by attacking the offensive glass. Despite the fact that both teams finished the night with 37 turnovers, the Cardinals ended the game with 14 offensive boards which led to a 24-6 advantage in second chance points.
 
Both teams finished game with four players in double digits. The Cardinals were led by junior Colton Weisbrod's 16 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Joey Frenchwood added 14 and eight assists. Senior Marcus Owens gave the Cardinals 29 strong minutes off the bench. He scored 13 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Sophomore Josh Nzeakor overcame early foul trouble to score 13 points and pull down seven rebounds.
 
Sam Houston was led by 12 points from Dakarai Henderson and Chris Galbreath. The Bearkats Aurimas Majauskas and Paul Baxter added 11 points.
 
"Defensively, we scrapped really hard tonight," said Price. "Offensively, our execution continues to get better.  The month of February leading into March you need to be able to execute and we are getting a little better on both ends of the floor. I think we had a different look to the game tonight."
 
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Red and White. SHSU scored the game's first seven points but junior Zjori Bosha put the Cardinals on the scoreboard with a three-pointer at the 18:07 mark. The three-ball sparked a 12-7 LU run and from that point on the game was punch-counter punch. Neither team gained a lead larger than six points from that point on.
 
In the overtime, the Cardinals took their execution to a different level. Big Red went 3-of-4 (.750) from the field, including a 2-of-3 (.667) mark from three-point range. While the Cardinals lit up the nets in overtime, their defense suffocated Sam Houston. The Bearkats shot just 2-of-7 (.286) in the final five minutes.
 
"This is not the championship, just one more step in the process," said Price. "We have another game Saturday that is every bit as important as this one was. If we want to continue to climb in the standings we have to come ready to play at Houston Baptist."
 
The Cardinals return to action Saturday when they travel to Houston to take on Houston Baptist. The game against the Huskies will tip off at 7 p.m. from Sharp Gym.
 
-LU CARDINALS-