SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Lamar University will carry the Southland Conference's longest win streak into Saturday's game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi thanks in large part to their win at Incarnate Word Wednesday combined with a Southeastern Louisiana loss. The Cardinals (15-12/8-6 SLC) have rattled off a season-best four consecutive wins and head to Corpus Christi currently in fifth place in the league standings.
 
As teams prepare for the final stretch run, it's almost hard to think LU was in a tie for 11^th in the Southland standings just four weeks ago. The Cardinals were 1-4 in league play and had just lost starter T.J. Atwood for the season. Instead of packing it in, the Cardinals rallied around each other and began figuring out ways to win games without the services of their third leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. Flash forward four weeks and the Cards have won six of their last seven outings – including four straight on the road – and now sit alone in fifth place just a game back of Southeastern Louisiana in the standings, and 1.5 games up on Stephen F. Austin, Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
The Cardinals are almost in position to begin eliminating teams behind them in the standings from catching them for the postseason tournament with every victory they record. LU officially eliminated UIW Wednesday and with two more wins (or an LU win and Nicholls/McNeese loss) the Cardinals can eliminate both Nicholls and McNeese from catching the Red and White.
 
The Islanders are currently in a three-way tie for sixth in the league standings. If the tournament were held today the Islanders would be in, but the tournament does not start until Mar. 13^th, so the Islanders would like to improve their position. The Islanders have moved into the tie in by splitting their previous four games and coming off a very impressive victory at Stephen F. Austin Wednesday.
 
The Cardinals are 20-9 (.690) all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, including a victory in Beaumont earlier this season. The Cardinals have won three straight, a win streak that comes following a stretch where the Cards surrendered three in a row to A&M-Corpus Christi. The Cardinals head to Corpus Christi looking for their second-straight season sweep. If Big Red can capture victory Saturday it would be their first four-game win streak since winning four from 2001 to 2008. The Cardinals have had some success historically against the Islanders in Corpus Christi. LU is 9-3 (.750) all-time on the road in the series.
 
Saturday's game is slated to tip off at 3:30 p.m. from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI. The game will also serve as the final road game for the 2018-19 regular season, as the Cardinals will close the year with three straight home games.