BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's basketball team hauled in plenty of hardware as the Southland Conference announced its awards for the 2017-18 season.
 
The Cardinals (22-6 overall, 17-1 Southland), who claimed the Southland Conference regular-season championship, landed three major awards as guard Chastadie Barrs (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto HS) was named the defensive player of the year for an unprecedented third time, guard Jadyn Pimentel (St. Louis, Missouri/Parkway North HS) was named the freshman of the year, while Robin Harmony was tabbed as the SLC's coach of the year.

Barrs and guard Moe Kinard (New Iberia, Louisiana/New Iberia HS) were named as first-team all-conference players, post player Kiandra Bowers (West Palm Beach, Florida/Dwyer HS) was a second-team selection, while guard DeA'ngela Mathis (Bradenton, Florida/Southeast HS) was a third-team choice. In addition, Barrs and Bowers were named to the conference's all-defensive team.
 
Barrs, who was a second-team all-conference selection last season, leads the nation in steals with 186 this season, just five shy of the NCAA record of 191 set by Natalie White of Florida A&M in the 1994-95 season. The junior guard has at least one steal in all 89 games of her career, and her 451 career steals are already LU and Southland Conference records.
 
Barrs also leads the conference in assists, averaging 6.7 per game, as well as assist/turnover ratio, averaging 2.13 assists for every turnover.  She is also averaging a career-best 12.5 points per game, and set a conference record with four triple-doubles this season.
 
"It's unbelievable that Chastadie can do that three years in a row," Harmony said of Barrs being named defensive player of the year. "She pretty much can take the ball whenever she wants."
 
Kinard, last season's newcomer of the year as well as a second-team All-SLC pick after transferring to LU from the University of Houston, leads the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, good for fifth in the conference. Her average of 16.1 points per game in SLC play is also fifth in the conference.
 
"Moe has been consistent all season," Harmony said. "She finds some way to contribute. Even if her shot isn't falling, she will find another way to help us."
 
This marks the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Cardinals have had two first-team all-conference selections. That season, Jenna Plumley and Kalis Loyd were honored.
 
Bowers, a fifth-year graduate student, leads the conference in rebounding, averaging 9.8 boards per game. Her average of 11.2 boards per game in SLC play also leads the conference. Bowers, who leads LU with 11 double-doubles this season, is averaging 10.5 ppg overall and 11.4 ppg vs. conference foes. She is second in the nation in offensive rebounding, pulling down an average of 5.57 offensive caroms per contest. Bowers, who has 61 steals this season, is fourth all-time at LU with 238 steals.
 
It's the second straight year that Bowers has been honored as a second-team all-conference selection.
 
"Kiandra has really stepped it up in the last half of the season," Harmony said. "I believe she is playing the best basketball of her career. She's just a ball hawk. Teams try to box her out, and she still finds a way to get rebounds."
 
Mathis, a senior who is in her second season with the Cardinals after transferring from Florida State College at Jacksonville, where she was a junior college All-American, is second on the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 12.5 ppg. Her average of 15.8 ppg in conference play is good for sixth in the SLC.
 
"We knew when we recruited DeA'ngela, she had the potential to be a big-time scorer for us," Harmony said. "This year, she has been on fire. She doesn't have the best-looking shot, but she's scoring big numbers."
 
Pimentel, who averages 7.5 points per game, leads all conference freshmen in assists (3.1 per game), steals (2.4 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2 assists per turnover). Pimentel is the fourth LU player to earn SLC freshman of the year honors, joining Brittney Williams (2007), Tamara Abalde (2008) and Kiara Desamours (2016).
 
"We knew when we recruited Jadyn that she had the potential to be freshman of the year," Harmony said. "She has great years ahead of her. She's so quick, she's hard to stop. The only thing that hurts her is her youth, but she's in a good situation because she's surrounded by four all-conference players."
 
Harmony is the first LU coach to be honored as the Southland Conference's women's basketball coach of the year. Now in her fifth season at LU, she has guided the Cardinals to a 91-59 (.607) record during her tenure. She led LU to a share of the conference title in 2014 before helping the Cards capture the SLC regular-season title outright for the first time in program history this season.
 
She is the first LU women's basketball coach to receive conference coach of the year accolades since 1995, when David McKey was named the Sun Belt Conference's coach of the year. Her 91 wins are third on LU's all-time list. With LU guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT, this marks the third time in her five seasons that the Cardinals will participate in a national postseason tournament.
 
"It's we, not me," Harmony said about being tabbed as coach of the year. "We have a great staff with Randy Schneider, Hana Haden and Cameron Miles. We have a great trainer (Katie Barker) who keeps the team healthy and a tremendous strength and conditioning coach (Lane Trudo) who makes sure we're in great shape."
 
The selection of Barrs and Bowers to the all-defensive team marks the first time since the 2012-13 campaign that the Cardinals placed two players on the all-defensive squad. That season, Loyd and Carenn Baylor were honored.
 
The Cardinals are the only program to have placed at least one player on the all-defensive team since its creation in the 2012-13 season. LU has had eight players named to the all-defensive team in the six seasons, the most of any SLC school.
 
The Cardinals, who enter the Southland Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed, received an automatic bye into the tourney semifinals. LU plays its first tourney game at 1 p.m. Saturday the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The championship game is scheduled for noon Sunday.
 
By winning the regular-season title, the Cardinals have guaranteed themselves of a spot in a national postseason tournament. Winning the Southland Conference Tournament would give LU a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Should the Cardinals not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament, they are assured of a spot in the WNIT's 64-team field.
 
All LU postseason games will be carried on KLVI (AM 560). Saturday's game will be shown on ESPN3. The championship game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
 
SLC TOURNAMENT TICKETS: Ticket booklets to the Southland Conference Tournament are on sale at the Montagne Center ticket office. Tickets may be purchased online BY CLICKING HERE. Tickets will also be available on game day at the Merrell Center. LU fans who purchase game-day tickets at the Merrell Center are encouraged to purchase their tickets from the LU ticket window.